Abstract: Conventional gas turbine engines are generally optimized to operate at nearly a fixed speed with fixed blade geometries for the design operating condition. When the operating condition of the engine changes, the flow incidence angles may not be optimum with the blade geometries resulting in reduced off-design performance. By contrast, according to embodiments of the present invention, articulating the pitch angle of turbine blades in coordination with adjustable nozzle vanes improves performance by maintaining flow incidence angles within the optimum range at all operating conditions of a gas turbine engine. Maintaining flow incidence angles within the optimum range can prevent the likelihood of flow separation in the blade passage and also reduce the thermal stresses developed due to aerothermal loads for variable speed gas turbine applications.

Abstract: A thermal barrier coating (TBC) material includes calcic-magnesia-alumina-silicates-resistant rare-earth (RE) oxide powder blended with yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ). The RE oxide powder may include any of gadolinium oxide, samarium oxide, ytterbium oxide and cerium oxide. The RE oxide powder may include gadolinium zirconate (GZO).

Abstract: Conventional gas turbine engines are generally optimized to operate at nearly a fixed speed with fixed blade geometries for the design operating condition. When the operating condition of the engine changes, the flow incidence angles may not be optimum with the blade geometries resulting in reduced off-design performance. By contrast, according to embodiments of the present invention, articulating the pitch angle of turbine blades in coordination with adjustable nozzle vanes improves performance by maintaining flow incidence angles within the optimum range at all operating conditions of a gas turbine engine. Maintaining flow incidence angles within the optimum range can prevent the likelihood of flow separation in the blade passage and also reduce the thermal stresses developed due to aerothermal loads for variable speed gas turbine applications.

Abstract: A sensor includes a film, at least one piezoelectric strip disposed on the film, a first conductive line disposed on the film, the first conductive line electrically connected to a first portion of the at least one piezoelectric strip, a second conductive line disposed on the film, the second conductive line electrically connected to a second portion of the at least one piezoelectric strip, and a dampening member disposed on the at least one piezoelectric strip.

Abstract: A method for testing ball bearings includes applying a Hertzian contact stress on a ball bearing to provide a fracture of the ball bearing that releases acoustic energy, establishing a signal representing the acoustic energy, and identifying occurrence of the fracture based upon the signal.

Abstract: A method includes performing a first damage prediction with a computational model using at least data from a first multitude of damage sensors on a structure, performing a second damage prediction with the computational model using at least data from a second multitude of load sensors associated with the structure, and selectively performing a damage monitoring action in response to the first damage prediction and the second damage prediction to determine a structural health A system includes a computing device configured to perform a first damage prediction using at least data from a multitude of damage sensors on a structure, a second damage predication using at least data from a multitude of load sensors associated with the structure, so as to selectively perform a damage monitoring action in response to the first damage prediction and the second damage prediction to determine a structural health of the structure.

Abstract: A method for testing ball bearings includes applying a Hertzian contact stress on a ball bearing to provide a fracture of the ball bearing that releases acoustic energy, establishing a signal representing the acoustic energy, and identifying occurrence of the fracture based upon the signal.

Abstract: A sensor array for non-destructively monitoring a structure to detect a critical structural event. The sensor array includes a plurality of discrete sensor nodes, each of the discrete sensor nodes producing an electrical signal in response to a structural event. A signal adder is electrically connected to the plurality of discrete sensor nodes for receiving and combining the electrical signal from each of the discrete sensor nodes to form a single sensor array output signal. A signal processing module then receives and processes the single sensor output signal. In the preferred embodiment, the signal processing module uses the time interval between the electrical signals from each of the discrete sensor nodes formed into a single sensor array output signal to calculate the location of the critical structural event. Also, in the preferred embodiment, a data collection system is located downstream of the sensor processing module.

Abstract: A sensor array for nondestructively monitoring a structure to detect a critical event. The sensor array includes a plurality of discrete sensor nodes, each of the discrete sensor nodes producing an electrical signal in response to a structural event. In the preferred embodiment, the sensor nodes include a plurality of piezoceramic fibers arranged in a planar array in which the fibers are aligned substantially parallel to each other, each of the fibers having a plurality of polarized regions that are substantially oriented according to their polarity in either a series, parallel, or combined arrangement of series and parallel orientations, and an electrical interface connecting the plurality of polarized regions of each fiber in series with one another. A signal adder receives and combines the electrical signals from each of the discrete sensor nodes to form a single sensor array output signal.