During the manufacture and overhaul of gas turbines, it is necessary to ensure that all blades in a stage are of an equal and known length to minimize the loss in performance that arises as a consequence of the clearance between rotor tip and engine casing. Modern compressor and turbine blades are generally loose fitting in their root fixings and only adopt their true working position when running. In this paper, a new technique for measuring the rotor radius over individual blades is described. The measurement technique utilizes a capacitance-based clearance measurement system, which enables rotor radius to be measured over each blade while spinning fast enough to ensure that the blades are centrifugally loaded into their true working position. The measurement technique is described, as is the system utilized to calibrate and reduce output into engineering units. The mechanical design of the “measurement head” is presented and the CNC lathe to which it interfaces described. Finally, the results of an experimental program, utilizing a fully bladed compressor disk undertaken to ascertain system performance, are presented.
During the manufacture and overhaul of gas turbines it is necessary to ensure that all blades in a stage are of an equal and known length to minimise the loss in performance that arises as a consequence of the clearance between rotor tip and engine casing. Modern compressor and turbine blades are generally loose fitting in their root fixings and only adopt their true working position when running. In this paper, a new technique for measuring the rotor radius over individual blades is described. The measurement technique utilises a capacitance based clearance measurement system which enables rotor radius to be measured over each blade while spinning fast enough to ensure that the blades are centrifugally loaded into their true working position. The measurement technique is described, as is the system utilised to calibrate and reduce output into engineering units. The mechanical design of the “measurement head” is presented and the CNC lathe to which it interfaces described. Finally, the results of an experimental programme, utilising a fully bladed compressor disc undertaken to ascertain system performance, are presented.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.