Search

Helicopter rotor dynamics (blade vibrations, ground resonance, influence of forward speed, etc.) play an important role in the wear and tear of the transmission system and power unit. Particularly fast wear of these components is to be expected in military helicopters in combat conditions, where the flight dynamics parameters are often exceeded. The FAM-C method developed at the Air Force Institute of Technology in Poland has been used to assess and monitor this wear. This method can be used to monitor damage to helicopter propulsion and transmission, where other "classical" methods are less effective due to a very complicated system of forces, variable as to the direction of amplitude and frequency, causing vibrations in closely spaced kinematic pairs. For this reason, vibroacoustic and thermal effects are created around these kinematic pairs, which interfere with each other. In a helicopter, the propulsion unit, including the power transmission unit, is at the same time the carrier unit. This has forced designers to construct a propulsion system with a much greater number of joints and bearing supports. This article presents the possibilities of the FAM-C method for monitoring of swash-plate main bearing wear.

Helicopter rotor dynamics (blade vibrations, ground resonance, influence of forward speed, etc.) play an important role in the wear and tear of the transmission system and power unit. Particularly fast wear of these components is to be expected in military helicopters in combat conditions, where the flight dynamics parameters are often exceeded. The FAM-C method developed at the Air Force Institute of Technology in Poland has been used to assess and monitor this wear. This method can be used to monitor damage to helicopter propulsion and transmission, where other "classical" methods are less effective due to a very complicated system of forces, variable as to the direction of amplitude and frequency, causing vibrations in closely spaced kinematic pairs. For this reason, vibroacoustic and thermal effects are created around these kinematic pairs, which interfere with each other. In a helicopter, the propulsion unit, including the power transmission unit, is at the same time the carrier unit. This has forced designers to construct a propulsion system with a much greater number of joints and bearing supports. This article presents the possibilities of the FAM-C method for monitoring of swash-plate main bearing wear. The swash-plates are not formally part of the helicopter's propulsion unit but are used to direct the thrust vector of the blades i.e., they direct the helicopter's power vector. Since during this process their components are observable by the FAM-C method, the authors found it necessary to include issues related to their diagnosis in this study. In the FAM-C method, the signal from the AC generator during the normal operation of the helicopter is processed. Analysis of this signal allows simultaneous monitoring of multiple engine and transmission components simultaneously. It does not require any separate sensors for this purpose - one "full-time" alternator or tachometer generator is - with proper collection and processing of the output voltage signal - the source of a whole range of diagnostic information. Thus, one generator is an observer of the technical condition of many elements of the power unit simultaneously. What's more, the signal can be collected from any place in the electrical network, which makes it possible to install the measuring system in safe locations, even while the power train is running. Some examples of diagnostic symptoms leading to wear detection are described. Research based on analysis of these findings with the use of the FAM-C method is described in the paper. In the FAM-C method, signal from the AC generator used in routine operation of the helicopter is processed. Signal analysis enables simultaneous monitoring of several engine and transmission elements. Some examples of diagnostic symptoms used to detect wear are described in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamics of the helicopter rotor (blade vibrations, ground resonance, influence of forward speed etc.) plays a significant role in wear of transmission and engine systems. Particularly severe wear of these elements can be expected on military helicopters operating in battlefield conditions, where exceedances of dynamic flight parameters and harsh maneuvers occur more frequently. The “FAM-C” diagnostic method, developed by the Air Force Institute of Technology in Poland, has been used for assessing and monitoring a fatigue wear. Particularly, this method may be applied to monitor defects of power plant and helicopter transmission system, where other “classical” methods are less efficient due to the very complex variable system as for the direction and frequency, system of forces generating vibrations in kinematic pairs situated close to each other. Due to this reasons certain vibroacoustic and thermal effects develop around these pairs and they interfere with each other. In a helicopter, a power plant, including a power transmission system is also a carrying assembly. It forced designers to construct a power plant with increased number of joints and bearing supports. This article depicts possibilities of FAM-C method regarding wear of the main bearing of helicopter rotor, wear of surface of teeth contact, clearances between axles of gear wheels in gear and the evaluation of circumferential clearances on splined connections. In the FAM-C method, signal from the AC generator used in routine operation of the helicopter is processed. Signal analysis enables simultaneous monitoring of several engine and transmission elements at the same time. It doesn’t require any separate sensors - one permanent electric generator or tachometer generator is - by the appropriate way of picking up and converting the output voltage signal - a source of the whole gamut of diagnostic information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes test results of rolling bearings conducted on turbojets, with the simultaneous use of two diagnostics methods: FAM-C and FDM-A [7]. For these methods, no installation of additional sensors on the aircraft is needed - the on-board electric generators are used as sensors. The "FAM-C" method uses the aircraft's alternating current (AC) tachometer generator, whereas the "FDM-A" method uses the direct current (DC) commutator-type generator. Spectrum of angular velocity of individual bearings manifests itself in high frequency ranges (60-240 Hz for the tachometer generator, 3-10 kHz for the DC generator), making the oscillation signal resistant to noise. This frequency modulated signal can be picked up by measuring instruments in any point of the aircraft electrical system. After detection the initial signal is obtained. Measurement analysis can be easily automated [10]. During detection, the carrier frequency is filtered off. Currently, with the simultaneous use of correlated FAM-C and FDM-A methods, four models of rolling bearings wear can be detected: increase of aggregate friction, seizure of rolling elements, increase of radial clearances, increase of axial clearance. This division was made on the basis of observing the technical condition of rolling bearings on many (around 30) turbojets during its normal operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]