At the middle of the 20Th century the testing tools and methods used to measure the airflow through and over the various componentsof aircraft engine were traditionally mechanical. In the late 1950’s arose some problems, while appeared that traditional mechanical testing tools using to measure and adjust the nozzles would no longer fit onto the part, and didn’t provide repeatable and accurate test results, cause of nozzle warped so badly during engine testing
When gas turbine engines are manufactured, overhauled, repaired or rebuilt, it is critically important to be able to measure the airflow through and over the various componentsof the engine to insure proper operation. Such measurements are made primarily on the nozzles and turbine vanes. A gas turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a flow of combustion gas. It has an upstream compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in between. Energy is added to the gas stream in the combustor, where air is mixed with fuel and ignited. Combustion increases the temperature, velocity and volume of the gas flow. This is directed through a nozzle over the turbine’s blades, spinning the turbine and powering the compressor. Energy is extracted in the form of shaft power, compressed air and thrust, in any combination, and used to power aircraft, trains, ships, generators, and even tanks.
The Aerodynamic measurement is the state of the art airflow measurement techniques, which is successfully applying for parts and units testing, in a different branch of Industry and Production, as:
- Engine aircraft nozzles;
- Trains;
- Ships;
- Generators.
Dynamically method of airflow measuring is one of the most industrially efficient ways to provide repeatable and accurate test results.
The Fleming MeasurementEquipmentwas createdbased on the benefits of Aerodynamic measurement instead of mechanical, and provide most efficient, most reliable, repeatable and accurate test results.
Fleming Airflow Measurement Systems meet the high requirements ofIndustry standard in dynamic airflow measurement for gas turbine components
There is only one, industrially efficient way to do measurement dynamically with Fleming & Associates Calibration, Inc. products. The area is measured dynamically through transfer standards, air pressures, temperatures and blower speeds. This is accomplished by the system adjusting blower speed to obtain the desired differential pressure across the component being measured, and then calculating the area as a function blower speed and the other above measurements.
The primary advantages of dynamic airflow testing over mechanical gauging are that airflow testing requires only a small fraction of the time required to gauge a component mechanically, and avoids the expense of calibration and repair of gauges. It should also be noted that historically, when mechanical gauging results do not agree with Effective Flow Area (EFA) test results produced with the AF36, EFA results provide a better indicator of engine performance.