Investigation on Information Assessment for Vibration Sensor Locations Installed in Aero-Engine Based on Unbalance Response Analysis

During design and development of every new aero-engine it is often necessary to verify its numerical model. Vibration readings obtained from permanent sensors often are not suitable for such verification or for engine detailed diagnostics. Therefore, it is frequently necessary to equip aero-engine with additional sensors and conduct special experiments. Proposed in the paper method allows to estimate preliminary information assessment for vibration sensor locations based on damped critical speed calculation and their mode shape analysis. Vibration sensor information assessment is further clarified based on unbalance response analysis. Investigation of various unbalance cases for engine’s rotors permit to obtain vibration sensors information assessment scatter as their maximum and minimum values. Approbation of the method was performed during simulation of high-bypass turbofan engine in software for rotordynamics simulation DYNAMICS R4. Performed analysis allowed to develop vibration sensors scheme installed on engine cases with high information assessment on aero-engine critical speeds and their mode shapes.