URI_Research_Magazine_2009-2010_Melissa-McCarthy

Enhancing Economic Development in Rhode Island

Giving Jet Engines a Better Sense for Safety

The United States Air Force, NASA, Rolls-Royce, Siemens, Pratt & Whitney, and Honeywell all have something in common. They’ve all turned to University of Rhode Island engineering professor Otto Gregory for his specialized expertise in the area of sensor technology. In fact, with Gregory at the helm as co-director, URI’s Sensors and Surface Technology Laboratory is a principal global resource in the highly focused area of gas turbine engine instrumentation and testing. In the aerospace industry, sensors are an essential and necessary technology used in the manufacturing of jet engines to test for engine safety and reliability. A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal that can be read by an observer or by an instrument. In the case of jet engines, the sensors support aviation safety by helping test for engine reliability and durability, and by measuring important engine parameters while the engine is actually running. This is extremely challenging considering the conditions under which these engines operate.

At URI’s Sensors and Surface Technology Laboratory, Gregory is advancing the development of sensors used to measure temperature, heat flux, pressure and stress in jet engine parts. The engine is the most costly component of an airplane, with production costs of a Boeing 777 engine as much as $25 million, of which 15 to 20 percent is slated for engine test and development. It’s no wonder that a technological improvement in jet engine instrumentation is big business. In a recent industry-wide testing program, turbine blade material was sent to engine companies around the world where state-of-the-art sensors were applied to the surface and returned to the University of Rhode Island for testing. “We analyzed sensor lifetime and how they performed,” Gregory says. “This data provided a baseline that we can use as a metric to improve sensor technology.” Gregory has developed a suite of non-invasive, high-temperature sensors that can be used by engine companies when making design changes, safety modifications and performance alterations. His work has made the

The University of Rhode Island

8