Blade tip clearance measurement method based on blade tip timing without the once per revolution sensor

Abstract The rotor blade tip clearance (BTC) of an aeroengine is a critical parameter that significantly impacts its performance and safety. Accurately determining dynamic BTC has been a focal point of research in experimental testing. Among the effective measurement methods for dynamic BTC, the laser triangulation method based on blade tip timing (BTT) stands out. However, this method typically relies on an once-per-revolution (OPR) sensor for rotor speed and blade serial number information during measurement, leading to increased installation and maintenance costs as well as additional measurement uncertainties. In response to this challenge, this paper presents two signal processing method that eliminate the need for an OPR sensor. The first method, referred to as ‘none OPR method 1,’ closely follows the measurement principles of the traditional method but employs a skewed dual light probe (SDLP) signal to extract rotational speed information, thus obviating the need for an OPR sensor. The second method, ‘none OPR method 2,’ introduces a novel data processing approach that enables BTC determination without any source of rotor speed information. Both methods utilize dynamic and static BTC matching techniques to identify blade serial numbers and achieve BTC measurement without an OPR sensor on a simulated rotor experimental bench. Comparative analysis with traditional method BTC measurements reveals that, under stable rotor speeds, all methods achieve similar levels of accuracy and repeatability errors within 0.025 mm. However, when dealing with variable speed conditions, the traditional method’s accuracy is significantly affected. None OPR method 1 mitigates the impact of rotor speed changes to some extent, while none OPR method 2 remains unaffected by such changes. Importantly, both none OPR methods demonstrate the capability to measure blade-by- blade tip clearances akin to the traditional method.