SBIR Phase II: Development of a Low-Cost Harsh Environment Vibration Sensor

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II research project will develop an inexpensive sensor for measuring mechanical vibration and displacement of rotating machines using 5.8 GHz communications components. Current sensing technologies cannot operate in the high temperature and dirty environments often found inside these machines. Major problems often first develop in these unmonitored areas. By providing a new source of information, failures and degradation can be detected earlier. The broader impacts of the proposed research result from the ability of engineers and scientists to more accurately characterize the internal workings of large rotating machinery (e.g. hydroelectric generator, power generation gas turbine, and DC motor) within the harshest environments. Designers and machine operators will have data in critical areas where failure modes most often occur, allowing for earlier warning of performance degradation and more accurate machine condition monitoring.