Aircraft Engine Wear Detection Using Redundant Parameter Comparison
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current Built-In Test Equipment (BITE) systems for aircraft engines struggle to accurately monitor specific engine wear due to predetermined thresholds that fail to account for individual aircraft usage and wear patterns, requiring extensive knowledge of physical phenomena.
Innovation Solution
A method where interconnected engine control computers compare operating parameters across engines to detect abnormal wear by identifying differences beyond predetermined thresholds, leveraging redundancy techniques to diagnose and isolate faulty engines without needing to understand complex physical laws.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If predetermined thresholds are used to monitor engine parameters, then the monitoring system is simple to implement, but it cannot accurately detect specific engine wear due to individual aircraft usage variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses one engine as a copy/reference of the other engine to detect wear. By monitoring the difference in parameters between two identical engines (which should be similar under similar conditions), the system can detect wear in one engine by comparing it against the other engine's performance. This eliminates the need for complex predetermined wear models while achieving accurate wear detection.
2Reliability
If predetermined thresholds based on physical phenomena are established, then wear monitoring can be performed, but extensive knowledge of physical phenomena is required which increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring deep knowledge of physical wear phenomena to establish thresholds, the patent uses the other engine as a reference copy. The comparison between two engines naturally accounts for physical phenomena without requiring explicit modeling, thereby maintaining reliability while reducing the complexity of knowledge requirements.
3Measurement precision
If engine-specific wear patterns are monitored, then accurate diagnosis is achieved, but the system must account for individual aircraft usage which increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adapts to individual aircraft usage by using the other engine on the same aircraft as a reference. Since both engines operate under the same usage conditions, the comparison automatically adapts to the specific aircraft's operational profile, achieving accurate wear detection without requiring separate adaptation for each usage pattern.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The method involves ordering and controlling aero-engines (ml-m4) by logic controllers (1-4), where the controllers are connected between the engines by an avionics full duplex (AFDX) digital communication network (5). Function parameters of the engines are monitored by the controller. Value of the parameters of the engine to be compared with value of the parameters that are emitted by the controllers is transmitted on the network. The engines are diagnosed under abnormal operation, if the difference between the two deviated values is higher than predetermined threshold.