US aerospace sensor specialist Harco Laboratories is introducing two engine and airframe sensing technologies at Paris as it moves to revitalise its brand image. The company is demonstrating a high- temperature sensor (HTS) capable of operating at up to 1,650°C (3,000°F) in an engine combustion chamber and a miniature magneto-optical sensor (MOPS) for proximity, displacement or rotation sensing.
In a gas turbine aeroengine, the HTS is capable of operating continuously at 1,260°C, compared with 1,040°C for current sensors, “and we are moving to 2,500-2,600°F”, says Samir Habboosh, research and development director. This opens up the possibility of active combustor control, he says.
An engine manufacturer is testing the HTS, which uses a metal-matrix composite material based on transition metals with minute particles embedded to reinforce the grain lattice. The material, which has a melting point of 1,815°C, resists contamination and oxidation without cooling or thermal barrier coatings, and is easily processed into different types of temperature sensor, says Habboosh.
The MOPS is a miniature solid-state device using a material that alters the polarisation of laser light in the presence a magnetic field. Fitting magnetic actuators to flaps, doors, panels and landing gear allows the lightweight fibre-optic device to be used as a proximity sensor. The MOPS can also be used to sense control displacement or measure pump, motor or gear rotation, according to Harco.
Demonstration prototypes have been provided to potential users for a variety of applications, says Habboosh.
Source: Flight International
