In-line wear monitor. Final report, July 1988-April 1989

Technical Report · Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6842791

Pieper, K A; Taylor, I J

This report describes construction and test results of an in-line monitor for critical ferrous and nonferrous metal debris in turbine engine lubrication systems. The in-line wear monitor (ILWM) uses the X-ray fluorescence principle for detecting metal debris on a continuous basis while the engine is running. The sensor portion of the system is engine mounted and contains a radioactive X-ray source, a flow cell to direct the oil across an X-ray permeable window, a proportional counter X-ray detector and its associated preamplifier and amplifier electronics. The data acquisition electronics is mounted on the airframe and contains a microprocessor based system for inputting pulses from the sensor, classifying and counting them according to energy bands, and analyzing the data and outputting metal concentration values to the engine monitoring system. The sensor portion of the system is designed to fit on a TF41 turbine engine in place of a tube between the oil tank and the oil pump. A TF41 engine monitoring system has been modified to accept the new signals from the ILWM on spare inputs so that none of the existing functions were disturbed. The ILWM has been flow tested at various flow rates, concentration levels, oil temperatures, and aerations. The wear monitor detected iron, copper, and both iron and copper together with less than 2 ppm one sigma statistical uncertainty for 30 minute count times over the 0-50 ppm range. There was no significant effect of flow rate or aeration on accuracy. The system is developed to the point that it can be tested in an actual flight environment.

• Research Organization: General Motors Corp., Indianapolis, IN (USA). Allison Gas Turbine Div.
• OSTI ID: 6842791
• Report Number(s): AD-A-217799/6/XAB; ALLISON-EDR-14074
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

07 ISOTOPES AND RADIATION SOURCES
42 ENGINEERING
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
LUBRICANTS
MONITORING
TURBOFAN ENGINES
WEAR
ACCURACY
AERATION
AMPLIFIERS
COPPER
DATA ACQUISITION
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ENGINES
EVALUATION
FLOW RATE
FLUORESCENCE
IRON
IRON ALLOYS
LUBRICATION
LUMINESCENCE
METALS
MICROPROCESSORS
MONITORS
OILS
PREAMPLIFIERS
PROGRESS REPORT
PROPORTIONAL COUNTERS
PUMPS
QUANTITY RATIO
RADIOACTIVITY
SIGNALS
TANKS
X RADIATION
ALLOYS
COMPUTERS
CONTAINERS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MICROELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATIONS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
070204* - Radiation Sources- Industrial Uses
Radiometric
420500 - Engineering- Materials Testing
330103 - Internal Combustion Engines- Turbine