Bearing Nut Teeth Recesses for Turbomachine Speed Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Accurate measurement of rotational speed in turbine engines is challenging due to the need for a specific part with metal teeth, which is difficult to integrate and disrupts the engine's operating conditions, and existing methods lack sufficient accuracy for torque determination.
Innovation Solution
A nut with a ring of teeth and slots, featuring recesses that create additional material density variations, allowing for improved speed measurement accuracy without altering the engine's features, using a capacitive sensor to detect these variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a specific part with a ring of teeth is added to the engine for speed measurement, then measurement accuracy is improved, but device complexity and integration difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing nut is designed to serve dual purposes: its primary function of mechanical fastening and its secondary function as a measurement marker carrier. The teeth on the nut's outer circumference serve both as clamping engagement features and as detectable markers for the capacitive sensor, eliminating the need for separate measurement components
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the measurement function into the existing bearing nut structure. The nut combines the clamping teeth necessary for mechanical function with additional teeth or modified tooth structures that serve as measurement markers, integrating two functions into a single component without requiring separate parts
2Measurement precision
If a specific part with metal teeth is added for measurement, then measurement accuracy is improved, but the representativeness of operating conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing nut performs both its original mechanical fastening function and serves as a measurement marker. Since the nut is an inherent part of the bearing assembly already present in normal operation, using it for measurement does not introduce foreign elements that would alter operating conditions, thereby maintaining reliability while achieving accurate torque measurement through dual-speed measurement
3Measurement precision
If recesses are added to the teeth to create density variations, then measurement accuracy is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tooth structure is segmented into solid portions and recessed portions. Each tooth contains recesses that create distinct material density variations detectable by the capacitive sensor. This segmentation allows the sensor to detect multiple transitions per tooth passage, effectively multiplying the measurement resolution without requiring a proportional increase in the number of teeth
Solution Approach 2:
The invention modifies the physical parameters of the tooth structure by introducing recesses that change the material distribution and density profile. These parameter changes create detectable signal variations in the capacitive sensor output, enabling more precise speed measurement. The recesses can be manufactured using standard machining operations such as milling or drilling, keeping manufacturing complexity manageable
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate rotational speed measurement and torque determination with enhanced precision, allowing for representative operational conditions without the need for additional components, and simplifies signal processing.
Implementation Method 1
there are capacitive sensors which can measure density variations in a specified field
Data Source
AI summary
A nut screwed around a rotating shaft with a view to securing a part to said shaft and to cooperate with a fixed sensor sensing a quantity of material in a pre-defined volume to measure the speed of rotation of the shaft, including a ring of teeth separated by slots. At least a portion of the teeth includes at least one recess maintaining the clamping function of the ring of teeth, the at least one recess forming, with notches separating the teeth, respective material deficit intervals detected by said sensor when passing through the detection volume during the rotation of the nut. A method of using the nut with a sensor in a rotational speed measuring device and the production of same.