Micro-Scale Additive Manufacturing of Strain Gauges on Non-planar Surface of Jet Engine Blades: Extended Objectives

该项目是滑铁卢大学和GE航空之间合作项目的延伸，其目的是将增材制造（AM）部署到喷气发动机叶片非平面表面上的应变片制造中。鉴于微尺度气溶胶喷射增材制造提供的机会以及关键航空航天部件的健康监测、负载检测以及有效应变和振动测量的重要性，该项目的第一阶段提出了14项技术披露，其中7项可能申请专利保护。在这个扩展的CRD项目中，将进行几个剩余的挑战，包括彻底的故障分析，印刷工艺优化沿着低温（Ag基）和高温印刷压力表（Pd-Cr基）的温度补偿方法。开发用于高温印刷压力表的合适的焊线工艺、用于形成绝缘层的新的溶胶-凝胶方法以及开发用于印刷可承受高达1200°C的压力表的新油墨是其他目标。此外，GE团队还将在恶劣和高温环境下对喷气发动机叶片上的低温和高温应变片进行全面的静态、动态和振动测试。 用于喷气发动机叶片的应变计的气溶胶喷射增材制造的益处是巨大的。与可以安装在表面上的市售应变传感器相比，印刷传感器将小型化。气溶胶喷射增敏应变仪还有望提供高分辨率测量，因为其微尺寸和高打印分辨率将允许单位表面积更大的传感器密度，从而很可能提供连续测量。许多行业将受益于更多按需小型化印刷应变片，除了航空航天之外，最直接的例子是汽车行业，因为它们集成了无源传感器。

This project is an extension to a collaborative project between the University of Waterloo and GE Aviation in which the aim has been to deploy additive manufacturing (AM) to the fabrication of strain gauges on the non-planar surface of jet engine blades. Given the opportunities provided by Micro-Scale Aerosol-Jet AM and also the importance of health monitoring, load detection, and effective strain and vibration measurements in critical aerospace parts, the first phase of the project was proposed resulting in 14 technology disclosures to GE from which 7 might be filed for patent protection. In this extended CRD project, several remaining challenges including a thorough failure analysis, printing process optimization along with temperature compensation methods for low temperature (Ag-based) and high temperature printed gauges (Pd-Cr based) will be conducted. Development of a proper wire soldering procedure for high temperature printed gauges, a new sol-gel method for the creation of insulation layer, and development of a new ink to print gauges that can stand up to 1200°C are other objectives. In addition, thorough static, dynamic and vibration tests on low and high temperature strain gauges on jet engine blades in harsh and high temperature environments will be conducted by the GE team. The benefit of aerosol-jet AM of strain gauges for jet engine blades is tremendous. The printed sensors will be miniaturized compared to commercially available strain sensors that can be mounted on the surface. It is also expected that aerosol-jet AM strain gauges will provide high resolution measurements because their micro-size and high printing resolution will allow a larger sensor density per surface area, thus most likely providing continuous measurement.The outcome of this technology, if successful, will be pervasive and will have a deep and broad impact. Many industries will benefit from more on-demand miniaturized printed strain gauges, with the most immediate example beyond aerospace being the automotive industry, for their integrated passive sensors.