Laser Ablation for Dynamic Rotor Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rotor balancing techniques require stopping the rotor to adjust mass distribution, leading to significant downtime and inefficiency, especially in large and fast-rotating systems, as they need to be repeated multiple times to achieve balance.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for dynamically balancing a rotor by measuring imbalance, calculating adjustments, and ablating material using a laser while the rotor is rotating, allowing for continuous operation and faster balancing processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional rotor balancing techniques are used to adjust mass distribution, then imbalance correction is achieved, but the rotor must be stopped and the process repeated multiple times, causing significant downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous balancing operation by removing the need to stop the rotor. The laser ablation system operates while the rotor rotates at normal speed, continuously removing material to correct imbalance without interrupting the rotational process, thus eliminating downtime associated with conventional stop-start balancing methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical balancing methods (which require stopping the rotor to add or remove masses) with a laser-based ablation system. The laser precisely removes material from the rotor surface while it rotates, providing a non-contact, continuous material removal mechanism that eliminates the need to stop the rotor for mass adjustment
2Ease of manufacture
If the rotor is stopped to adjust mass distribution in conventional techniques, then proper mass adjustment can be made, but the process becomes time-consuming and inefficient for large and fast-rotating systems
Solution Approach 1:
The laser ablation process operates continuously while the rotor rotates at normal operating speed. The laser tracks and removes material in real-time without requiring the rotor to be stopped, maintaining full productivity throughout the balancing operation and eliminating the time loss inherent in conventional stop-start methods
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating rotor itself serves as the working platform for the laser ablation process. The rotor's own rotation provides the motion needed for the laser to access and remove material from different locations, eliminating the need for external mechanical intervention or stopping the rotor to perform mass adjustments
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 dynamic balancing of rotors at normal operating speeds without stopping the rotor, reducing downtime and achieving precise imbalance correction, even in complex systems with flexible shafts and cantilevered rotors.
Implementation Method 1
adjusting the mass distribution to reduce the imbalance, by operating a laser to ablate material from the rotor according to operating parameters based on the adjustment calculated
Data Source
AI summary
A rotor is statically or dynamically balanced by driving the rotor to rotate at a desired speed, measuring an imbalance in the rotor, calculating an adjustment to be made in a mass distribution of the rotor based on the measured imbalance, and adjusting the mass distribution to reduce the imbalance. Mass adjustment is done by operating a laser to ablate material from the rotor according to operating parameters based on the adjustment calculated. The foregoing is done while the rotor is rotating.