AIR CYCLE MACHINE WITH BEARING FAILURE DETECTION

• Main Author: MCAULIFFE, Christopher
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 02.01.2019
• Subjects: AIRCRAFT; ARRANGEMENTS OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSIONTRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; BEARINGS; BLASTING; COSMONAUTICS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; FLYING SUITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HEATING; LIGHTING; MEASURING; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PARACHUTES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; SHAFTS; TESTING; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS

A bearing monitoring system is provided including one or more bearings (308,310,312,314) within a flow passage (306) and a working fluid passing over at least one surface of the bearings. A first thermocouple (316) is located in the flow passage upstream relative to the one or more bearings (308,310,312,314) and configured to measure a first temperature of the working fluid and a second thermocouple (318) is located in the flow passage downstream relative to the one or more bearings (308,310,312,314) and configured to measure a second temperature of the working fluid. The system further includes a control device (328) in communication with the first thermocouple (316) and the second thermocouple (318), and configured to compute a temperature gradient across the one or more bearings (308,310,312,314) from the first temperature and the second temperature, compare the temperature gradient against a known value, and if the temperature gradient exceeds the known value, the control device is configured to provide an alert.