A device for subjecting a cantilevered wind turbine blade to transverse force during a fatigue test of the wind turbine blade, the device comprising: a pivot arm having a longitudinal pivot arm axis and being pivotally supported in an arm supporting structure for pivoting about an essentially horizontal pivot axis, a mass member being connected to the pivot arm, and a coupling member providing a connection between the pivot arm and a blade fixture configured to be fixedly connected to the blade,
the pivot axis, the mass member and the coupling member being mutually spaced along the longitudinal pivot arm axis. The system comprises the device and an exciter configured for cyclically subjecting the cantilevered blade to a transverse reciprocating movement.

A load sensing system for sensing a load on a structure can include an optical load sensing element configured to change an optical state based on a force applied thereto, an optical source operatively connected to the optical load sensing element and configured to input an input optical signal to the optical load element, and an optical detector configured to receive a returned optical signal from the optical load sensing element. The optical detector can be configured to detect one or more frequency peaks of the returned optical signal and to use the one or more frequency peaks of the returned optical signal to correlate to a load value of the load and output the load value indicative of the load.

A load calculator includes a coefficient storage, a replacement deriver, and an internal-load deriver. The storage stores a first coefficient, an internal load acting on a target point in a target member when a unit load acts on a concentrated load point in the target member along one of three orthogonal axes, and as a second coefficient, an internal load acting on the target point when a unit moment acts on the concentrated load point around one of the axes. The replacement deriver derives a replacement load and moment by replacing an external load acting on the target member with six force components acting on the concentrated load point. The internal load deriver derives an internal load acting on any target point with the first coefficient, the replacement load, the second coefficient, and the replacement moment when the external load acts on the target member.

A high-temperature biaxial strength tester for a CMC turbine vane includes a test stand, a thermal insulation box, a vane fixture, a biaxial loading device, thermocouples, a multi-channel thermometer, quartz lamps, a digital image correlation (DIC) system, and a cooling circulation system. The biaxial loading device includes two loading mechanisms arranged at 90° to each other. Each of the two loading mechanisms includes an electric cylinder and a ceramic push rod. One end of the ceramic push rod is connected to the electric cylinder, and the other end of the ceramic push rod extends into the thermal insulation box to contact an outer platform of the CMC turbine vane. The electric cylinder is provided with a load-displacement sensor. The thermocouples are arranged on the thermal insulation box. The quartz lamps are arranged inside the thermal insulation box. The multi-channel thermometer is connected to the thermocouples.

A method of monitoring turbine blade creep in a gas turbine engine is provided. The method includes: receiving an image of a turbine blade of a row of turbine blades, the image having been obtained using a borescope located in the engine adjacent a row of turbine blades; measuring on the image a distance between radially inner and radially outer landmarks on the turbine blade; and comparing the measured distance with a reference distance to determine an amount of creep-induced lengthening of the blade.

A one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) scan scheme for a tracking continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (CSLDV) system to scan the whole surface of a rotating structure excited by a random force. A tracking CSLDV system tracks a rotating structure and sweep its laser spot on its surface. The measured response of the structure using the scan scheme of the tracking CSLDV system is considered as the response of the whole surface of the structure subject to random excitation. The measured response can be processed by operational modal analysis (OMA) methods (e.g., an improved lifting method, an improved demodulation method, an improved 2D demodulation method). Damped natural frequencies of the rotating structure are estimated from the fast Fourier transform of the measured response. Undamped full-field mode shapes are estimated by multiplying the measured response using sinusoids whose frequencies are estimated damped natural frequencies.

The invention relates to a mechanical testing device with at least one load frame , and , which has a frame part and a clamping device held therein, in which a beam-shaped test specimen, in particular a rotor blade or rotor blade segment, can be clamped projecting through the load frame, the load frame being mounted in a first pivot bearing arrangement on a carrier frame or a support frame so as to be rotatable about a first transverse axis of the test specimen which extends perpendicularly to its longitudinal axis projecting through the clamping device, wherein the frame part has a four-fold rotational symmetry, in particular a square shape, or an annular shape. The design of the load frame(s) results in easy rotatability/adjustability of the test specimen. In a method for carrying out the test, the system natural frequencies in different loading directions can be suitably matched.

The disclosure is directed to a method comprising the steps: carrying out multiple measurements on a mechanical object, the measurements each differing by one or more parameters influencing the measurement; determining a spectrogram on the basis of the measurement data of the measurements and depending on a predefined parameter of the mechanical object; determining one or more excitations of the mechanical object; reproducing the excitations in the spectrogram.

Provided are embodiments for method and system for performing an integrated ice protection with prognostics and health management using fiber optic sensors. Embodiments can include reading a signal from each sensor of an array of sensors installed on a surface of a structure or equipment, wherein each sensor is a fiber optic sensor, and generating a map based on reading the signal from each sensor, wherein the map monitors a condition of the surface detected by each sensor. Embodiments can also include determining at least one of an abnormal condition or a failure based at least in part on reading the signal from each sensor; and performing at least one of adjusting power control for the structure or equipment or communicating the abnormal condition or failure of the structure or equipment.

Embodiments described herein utilize Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) scan data obtained during a process performed on a surface of a structure to update a location of an NDI scanner on the surface. A subsurface feature within the structure is detected based on the NDI scan data, which are correlated with pre-defined position data for the subsurface feature. A measured location of the NDI scanner on the surface is corrected based on the pre-defined position data for the subsurface feature.