Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

This project aims at the additive manufacturing (AM) of strain gauges on the non-planar surface of jet engine blades. AM technologies have provided tremendous opportunities for various industries such as aerospace, tooling and printed electronics. AM is a class of disruptive technologies slated to change the entire manufacturing enterprise by 2030. Given the opportunities provided by AM and also the importance of health monitoring, load detection, and effective strain and vibration measurements in critical aerospace parts, a pilot study was initiated between the University of Waterloo and GE Aviation to investigate the feasibility of Micro-Scale Aerosol-Jet AM to produce strain gauges on the jet engine blades of the new generation of GE engine. Given the promising results of the pilot study, this collaborative project is proposed to address several remaining challenges including the surface quality of the insulation layer, a thorough characterization of the AM process as well as the fabricated sensors, durability/repeatability investigation, dynamic and static tests of the printed sensors, and the development of a high temperature ink that is printable by the AM-based process. The benefit of aerosol-jet AM of strain gauges for jet engine blades is tremendous. The printed sensors will be miniaturized compared to commercially available strain sensors that can be mounted on the surface. It is also expected that aerosol-jet AM strain gauges will provide high resolution measurements because their micro-size and high printing resolution will allow a larger sensor density per surface area, thus most likely providing continuous measurement. The outcome of this technology, if successful, will be pervasive and will have a deep and broad impact. Many industries will benefit from more on-demand miniaturized printed strain gauges, with the most immediate example beyond aerospace being the automotive industry, for their integrated passive sensors. Successful outcomes will also be of tremendous importance to our industrial partner, GE Aviation which intends to expand its activities to the AM processes and printed gauges on high-valued components.