[126] Integrated intelligent bearing systems (I2BS) for the ultra-high propulsive efficiency (UHPE) ground test demonstrator
L Wang1, N Grabham1, K Esmaeili1, T Harvey1, A Weddell1, N White1, D Mouradian2 and T Endres3
1University of Southampton, UK
2Safran Aircraft Engines, France
3Schaeffler Aerospace, Germany
While smart bearings have been widely used in applications such as automotive and rail bearings, the implementation of similar systems for aero-engines has been extremely challenging due to their specific operating environment such as the high temperatures bearings are subjected to (exceeding 200˚C), high shaft rotating speed (>15,000 rpm) and significant background noises from other aircraft components. The Clean Sky 2 Integrated Intelligent Bearing Systems (I2BS) project has designed and developed smart bearings, incorporating multiple self-powered sensors including accelerometers, strain gauges, inductive and eddy current speed sensors as well as thermocouples. Thermal electric generator (TEG) technologies have been explored to provide the power for the smart bearings. High-temperature wireless data communication systems have also been developed for sensor data transmission. The smart bearings have been manufactured and tested on both sub-scale and full-scale test-rigs under a range of operating and seeded defect conditions to enable the development of intelligent bearing fault detection and health monitoring. Based on the sub-scale test data, a bespoke bearing fault detection tool, named ‘AtoB’ toolbox, has been developed using conventional signal processing techniques and a novel tracking system. This paper will briefly introduce the intelligent bearing systems and present the results demonstrating the effectiveness of this toolbox.
