DYNAMIC-STRAIN MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT-ENGINE TEST CELLS

Modern turbine engines undergo extensive ground testing in test cells during development. These engines are instrumented with numerous strain gages for high-frequency dynamic strain measurements. Currently, analog signals from these gages are routed out of the test cell to remote data acquisition equipment over hundreds of feet of wire. With up to 200 gages to be installed, the task of patching the gage wires through to the appropriate channels of the data acquisition system is daunting and prone to error. In addition, the long path the analog signals must travel makes the system susceptible to noise pickup. The proposed Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of implementing a smart-sensor network to acquire dynamic strain data. Signal conditioning and synchronized digitization will be performed within the test cell, minimizing noise pickup. The sensors will be self-configuring: transducer electronic data sheets attached to the strain gages will be used to identify the type, location, and properties of every sensor attached to the data acquisition modules in the network. The system will thereby provide substantial cost savings to the Air Force by reducing installation times and will increase the quality of the measured strain data due to reduced noise pickup.