INCIPIENT FLAW DETECTION ON AN OPERATING GAS TURBINE ENGINE WITH THE ROBUST LASER INTERFEROMETER

Epoch Engineering Incorporated (EEI), the developer of the Robust Laser Interferometer (RLI) for non-contact vibration measurement, has identified a seeded fault test of a prototype gas turbine engine on which to demonstrate their RLI. The F100 engine, developed for the Joint Strike Fighter by Pratt & Whitney is to be tested in the late summer and fall of 1998 at the Pratt & Whitney facility in West Palm Beach, Florida.EEI will interrogate selected points on the F100 engine and, with the extremely wide bandwidth (0-256 KHz) and great dynamic range (155 dB, acceleration) made available, uniquely, by their RLI, will demonstrate the ability to detect the seeded faults introduced. In addition, because of the bandwidth made available by the RLI (note: most competing systems do not offer measurements above 20-30 KHz) EEI will demonstrate special procesing techniques to reveal such characateristics as torisional vibration changes and dirivative of acceleration --