SBIR Phase I: Micromachined High-Temperature Piezoelectrics for On-Line Damage Assessment in Turbine Engines

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop high temperature piezoelectric sensors for on-line damage assessment in gas turbines. In addition to developing several promising high-temperature piezoelectric materials, the proposed work involves measurement of characteristics (dielectric constants and piezoelectric coefficients) of the promising piezoelectric materials and testing the piezelectric materials to serve as high temperature transducers. The development of high temperature piezoelectric materials and related sensors will provide a more efficient and economic diagnosis of the actual damage of turbine engine components than the past practices of relying on fixed cycles or time-intervals. The proposed technology will, therefore, significantly impact the aerospace industry where periodic inspections of turbine engine hardware are necessary to qualify engines for flight worthiness. This technology can also be used for quality control in manufacturing of high technology materials (ex: lamination in composite structures).