An aircraft powerplant and a method for measuring thrust are described herein. A gas turbine engine has a turbine section for extracting energy from combustion gases and has a shaft mounted to the turbine section for converting the energy into rotary motion. A load cell is coupled to an end of the shaft and positioned to rotate with the shaft. The load cell is configured for generating a measurement indicative of propeller thrust. A propeller is coupled to the load cell and is configured for converting the rotary motion from the shaft and the load cell into the propeller thrust. The propeller thrust can be measured from the load cell as the propeller rotates.

The present disclosure relates to a cementious composition (e.g. for mounting a strain gauge within a gas turbine engine) comprising: part A comprising an acidic solution of a metal salt; part B comprising silica and one or more metal oxides; and part C comprising colloidal silica and/or a silicate solution. Part A may comprise an acidic aluminium phosphate solution. Part B may comprise one or more or all of titanium oxide, chromium oxide, alumina and barium oxide

An apparatus measuring thrust of an aircraft gas turbine engine includes a core shaft connecting a turbine and compressor, a fan and gearbox with a sun gear driven by the core shaft, a plurality of planet gears, an annulus gear mounted in a static structure, and a planet carrier driven by the fan via fan shaft. The apparatus includes a sensor to measure force applied by the annulus gear on the static structure and first and second sensors to measure rotational speed of the core and fan shafts. A processor determines restoring torque on the annulus gear from measurement of force applied by the gear on the static structure, torque applied to the fan by the planet carrier using rotational speeds of core and fan shafts and restoring torque on the annulus gear, and thrust of the fan from torque applied to the fan and the fan's rotational speed.

An axial load management system for a turbomachine including a rotating drivetrain, a thrust bearing assembly, a sensor, and a valve supply line. The rotating drivetrain includes a compressor section and an expander section fluidly coupled together by a closed flowpath. The thrust bearing assembly includes a thrust runner, a thrust bearing housing, and a gas thrust bearing extending between the thrust runner and the thrust bearing housing. Further, the gas thrust bearing supports the rotating drivetrain. The sensor is attached to at least one of the thrust bearing housing or the gas thrust bearing. The valve supply line is fluidly coupled to the closed flowpath. A valve positioned within the valve supply line selectively allows a working fluid to flow between the closed flowpath and a thrust chamber defined by a rotating surface and a fixed surface to modify an axial load on the rotating drivetrain.

A component has a first structural configuration and a second structural configuration. The component includes a sensor assembly including a plurality of interconnected structural members defining a plurality of load paths. A first structural member and a second structural member define a first load path when the component is in the first structural configuration. The first structural member and a third structural member define a second load path when the component is in the second structural configuration. The second load path is configured to bypass the second structural member. The sensor assembly is configured to detect a characteristic of the component that changes when the component switches between the first structural configuration and the second structural configuration.

Methods for manufacturing passive strain indicator on turbine components include providing a turbine component comprising an exterior surface, and, depositing a ceramic material onto a portion of the exterior surface to form a passive strain indicator comprising at least two reference points.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a turbine engine cooling system configured to provide cooling air to a particular region of the engine to cool that region of the engine. The cooling system is configured to modulate the flow of cooling air to reduce the amount of cooling air flowing to that region of the engine during periods in which less cooling is needed to avoid providing more cooling air than is needed to adequately cool that region of the engine. The cooling system is configured to determine when to modulate the flow of cooling air based on temperature readings obtained from within the cooled region.

A component has a first structural configuration and a second structural configuration. The component includes a sensor assembly including a plurality of interconnected structural members defining a plurality of load paths. A first structural member and a second structural member define a first load path when the component is in the first structural configuration. The first structural member and a third structural member define a second load path when the component is in the second structural configuration. The second load path is configured to bypass the second structural member. The sensor assembly is configured to detect a characteristic of the component that changes when the component switches between the first structural configuration and the second structural configuration.

A control system for a variable area fan nozzle (VAFN) having a plurality of petals is disclosed. The control system may include at least one fiber optic shape sensor extending along at least one of the plurality of petals, and a light source operatively connected to the at least one fiber optic shape sensor. The control system may further include a receiver operatively connected to the at least one fiber optic shape sensor. The control system may further include a VAFN control unit in operative communication with the plurality of petals and the receiver. The VAFN control unit may be configured to receive a signal from the receiver indicative of the measured strain along the at least one fiber optic shape sensor, and calculate a nozzle area of the VAFN based on the measured strain.

Methods and systems for communicating a signal between a rotating antenna and a plurality of stationary antennae based on an axial displacement of the rotating antenna are provided. In one example, the method can include obtaining one or more measurements of an axial displacement of the rotating antenna from one or more axial displacement sensors. The method can further include determining a selected stationary antenna from the plurality of stationary antennae based at least in part on the measurements of an axial displacement of the rotating antenna. The method can further include activating the selected stationary antenna to communicate a signal with the rotating antenna. The method can further include communicating a signal between the rotating antenna and the selected stationary antenna.