Electronic shaft shear detection conditioning circuit

摘要

An electrical control system for distinguishing between an electrical fault and a shaft shear condition in a gas turbine engine, the control system including, in one aspect, a detection circuit including: two or more probes, each probe including an associated resistor having a predetermined range of resistance, and each probe being disposed in the engine adjacent a rotary mounted shaft component, where mechanical interference between one or more of the probes and the shaft component renders the associated resistor substantially non-conductive; sensor processor(s) in communication with each probe, determining a probe operational status based on a measured resistance to current conducted through each probe, and generating a fault code when the measured resistance of at least one of the plurality of probes is not within the predetermined range of resistance.

主权项

1. A circuit useful for distinguishing between an electrical fault and a shaft shear failure in a gas turbine engine, the circuit comprising:
a plurality of probes, each probe associated with a respective resistor having a predetermined range of resistance, and each probe being disposed in an engine adjacent a rotary mounted shaft component, whereby mechanical interference between any of the plurality of probes and the shaft component renders the corresponding associated resistor substantially non-conductive; and at least one sensor processor configured to determine an operational status of each probe, based on a measured resistance to current conducted through each probe, and to generate a fault code when the measured resistance associated with at least one of the plurality of probes is not within the predetermined range of resistance; wherein the fault code generated by the at least one sensor processor is indicative of a shaft shear failure when the measured resistance to current conducted through each of the plurality of probes is substantially infinite; wherein:
when the measured resistance associated with at least one probe is not within the predetermined range of resistance; andwhen the measured resistance associated with at least one other probe is within the corresponding predetermined range of resistance;the fault code generated by the sensor processor is an engine warning code.