1. A resonator system for a turbine engine comprising:
a combustor component having an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface, a first plurality of holes extending through the combustor component from the outer peripheral surface to the inner peripheral surface, the first plurality of holes being distributed circumferentially about the combustor component;
a fluid flow within the combustor component, the fluid proximate to the inner peripheral surface of the combustor component having relatively hot regions alternating with relatively cold regions in the circumferential direction about the inner peripheral surface of the combustor component, and
a first plurality of resonators formed with the combustor component, each resonator having a resonator plate and at least one side wall, the resonator plate including a plurality of holes therein, each resonator having an inner cavity defined between the resonator plate, the at least one side wall and the outer peripheral surface of the combustor component, the at least one sidewall of each resonator surrounding a subset of the first plurality of holes, the first plurality of resonators being substantially circumferentially aligned about the combustor component to form a first row of resonators,
wherein a portion of the resonators are high flow resonators, wherein each high flow resonator is formed in a location that is substantially aligned with one of the relatively hot regions,
wherein a portion of the resonators are low flow resonators, wherein each low flow resonator is formed in a location that is substantially aligned with one of the relatively cold regions, and
wherein the first plurality of resonators are arranged so that there is a single high flow resonator associated with each hot region and a single low flow resonator associated with each cold region, whereby a single high flow resonator alternates with a single low flow resonator about the outer peripheral surface of the combustor component.
2. The resonator system of claim 1 wherein the rate of flow through the high flow resonators is from 1.5 to 5 times the rate of flow through the low flow resonators.
3. The resonator system of claim 1 wherein the combustor component is a combustor liner.
4. The resonator system of claim 1 wherein the shape of the resonator plate is one of generally trapezoidal, parallelogrammatic, rectangular, circular, oval, elliptical or triangular in conformation.
5. The resonator system of claim 1 wherein, for at least one of the first plurality of resonators, the resonator plate and the at least one side wall are formed as a resonator box, the at least one side wall of the resonator box being attached to the outer peripheral surface of the combustor component so that the resonator box protrudes outwardly from the outer peripheral surface of the combustor component.
6. The resonator system of claim 1 further including a second plurality of holes extending through the combustor component from the outer peripheral surface to the inner peripheral surface, the second plurality of holes being distributed circumferentially about the combustor component, the second plurality of holes being axially downstream of the first plurality of holes; and
a second plurality of resonators formed with the combustor component, each resonator having a resonator plate and at least one side wall, the resonator plate including a plurality of holes therein, each resonator having an inner cavity defined between the resonator plate, the at least one side wall and the outer peripheral surface of the combustor component, the at least one side wall of each resonator surrounding a subset of the second plurality of holes, the second plurality of resonators being substantially circumferentially aligned about the combustor component to form a second row of resonators.
7. The resonator system of claim 6 wherein each resonator in the first row of resonators has substantially the same circumferential clocking position as a respective one of the resonators in the second row of resonators, whereby the resonators in the first row are substantially aligned with the resonators in the second row.
8. The resonator system of claim 6 wherein each resonator in the first row of resonators has a different circumferential clocking position than a respective one of the resonators in the second row of resonators, whereby the resonators in the first row are offset from the resonators in the second row.
9. The resonator system of claim 6 wherein the resonators in the first row of resonators collectively have an associated first damping characteristic with an associated frequency response and wherein the resonators in the second row of resonators collectively have an associated second damping characteristic with an associated frequency response, wherein the first damping characteristic is different from the second damping characteristic.
10. The resonator system of claim 6 wherein the second row of resonators includes a plurality of high flow resonators and low flow resonators, wherein the rate of flow through the high flow resonators is from 1.5 to 5times the rate of flow through the low flow resonators.
11. The resonator system of claim 1, wherein each high flow resonator of the first plurality of resonators is positioned to be substantially circumferentially centered in each respective relatively hot region.
12. The resonator system of claim 1, wherein an upstream side of each resonator of the first plurality of resonators extends across the respective relatively hot region and into each of respective relatively cold regions abutting the respective relatively hot region, effective to provide film cooling under a portion of the at least one side wall that is outside the respective relatively hot region.
13. A resonator system for a turbine engine comprising:
a combustor component having an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface, a first plurality of holes extending through the combustor component from the outer peripheral surface to the inner peripheral surface, the first plurality of holes being distributed circumferentially about the combustor component, a second plurality of holes extending through the combustor component from the outer peripheral surface to the inner peripheral surface, the second plurality of holes being distributed circumferentially about the combustor component, the second plurality of holes being located axially downstream of the first plurality of holes;
a fluid flow within the combustor component, the fluid proximate to the inner peripheral surface of the combustor component comprising relatively hot regions alternating with relatively cold regions in the circumferential direction about the inner peripheral surface of the combustor component,
a first plurality of resonators formed with the combustor component, the first plurality of resonators being substantially circumferentially aligned about the combustor component to form a first row of resonators, each resonator having a resonator plate and at least one side wall, the resonator plate including a plurality of holes therein, each resonator having an inner cavity defined between the resonator plate, the at least one side wall and the outer peripheral surface of the combustor component, the at least one side wall of each resonator surrounding a subset of the first plurality of holes in the combustor component wherein a portion of the first plurality of resonators are first high flow resonators, wherein each first high flow resonator is formed in a location that is substantially aligned with one of the relatively hot regions, and wherein a portion of the first plurality of the resonators are first low flow resonators, wherein each first low flow resonator is formed in a location that is substantially aligned with one of the relatively cold regions.; and
a second plurality of resonators formed with the combustor component, the second plurality of resonators being substantially circumferentially aligned about the combustor component to form a second row of resonators, each resonator having a resonator plate and at least one side wall, the resonator plate including a plurality of holes therein, each resonator having an inner cavity defined between the resonator plate, the at least one side wall and the outer peripheral surface of the combustor component, the at least one side wall of each resonator surrounding a subset of the second plurality of holes in the combustor component, wherein a portion of the second plurality of resonators are second high flow resonators, wherein each second high flow resonator is formed in a location that is substantially aligned with one of the relatively hot regions, and wherein a portion of the second plurality of the resonators are second low flow resonators, wherein each second low flow resonator is formed in a location that is substantially aligned with one of the relatively cold regions,
wherein each resonator in the first row of resonators has a different circumferential clocking position than a respective one of the resonators in the second row of resonators, whereby the resonators in the first row are offset from the resonators in the second row.
14. The resonator system of claim 13 wherein the resonator plate of each of the first plurality of resonators and the resonator plate of each of the second plurality of resonators are one of generally trapezoidal, parallelogrammatic, rectangular, circular, oval, elliptical or triangular in conformation.
15. The resonator system of claim 13 wherein a resonator in the second row is offset from a resonator in the first row by about one half of a circumferential width of the resonator in the first row.
16. The resonator system of claim 13 wherein the resonators in the first row of resonators collectively have an associated first damping characteristic with an associated frequency response and wherein the resonators in the second row of resonators collectively have an associated second damping characteristic with an associated frequency response, wherein the first damping characteristic is different from the second damping characteristic.
17. The resonator system of claim 13 wherein the combustor component is a combustor liner.
18. The resonator system of claim 13 wherein the first plurality of resonators are arranged so that there is at least one high flow resonator associated with each hot region and at least one low flow resonator associated with each cold region, whereby the at least one high flow resonator alternates with the at least one low flow resonator about the outer peripheral surface of the combustor component.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for determining an inconsistency characteristic of a composite structure that is formed from a plurality of independent composite lengths of material forming a plurality of adjacent, courses, and where the courses are laid down using a compaction component and examined for inconsistencies virtually immediately after being laid down, the method comprising:
using a camera moveable with the compaction component to capture images of a surface of the composite structure as each one of the courses of the composite lengths of material are being laid down by the compaction component;
using a sensor moveable with the compaction component to determine a first distance from a first reference point of the composite structure to an inconsistency detected from one of the images captured by the camera, by determining a linear velocity of the compaction component as the compaction component lays down one of the courses that forms the composite structure, and a time of travel of the compaction component from the first reference point along the one course to the inconsistency;
determining a second distance from a second reference point of the composite structure to the inconsistency;
using the first and second distances to establish a reference area of the composite structure; and
considering each said inconsistency detected within the reference area and producing therefrom an inconsistency characteristic representative of the composite structure.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said considering each inconsistency comprises summing all of the inconsistencies detected within the reference area to produce a total inconsistency count for the reference area.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising dividing the total inconsistency count by a reference area to obtain an inconsistency per unit area value.
4. The method of claim 3, further comprising comparing the inconsistency per unit area value to a maximum allowable inconsistency density-per-unit area.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the considering each inconsistency comprises:
determining a width for each inconsistency detected within the reference area; and
summing the widths of the inconsistencies within the reference area to produce a width total for the reference area.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising dividing the width total by the reference area to determine a cumulative inconsistency width-per-unit area of the reference area.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising comparing the cumulative inconsistency width-per-unit area to a maximum allowable cumulative inconsistency width-per-unit area.
8. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining a width for each inconsistency within the reference area comprises:
selecting, from a digital image of at least a portion of the composite structure including the reference area, a pixel set for each inconsistency within the reference area representing the width of the corresponding inconsistency;
determining a pixel count for each selected pixel set; and
correlating each of the pixel counts with correlation data to determine the corresponding widths of the inconsistencies within the reference area.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the using the linear velocity comprises:
determining elapsed time between when the one course started and when the inconsistency is detected along the one course; and
multiplying the linear velocity by the elapsed time.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the using the linear velocity comprises:
determining elapsed time between when a first inconsistency is detected along the one course and when a second inconsistency is detected along the one course; and
multiplying the linear velocity by the elapsed time.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a linear velocity of the compaction component comprises:
determining an angular velocity of a compaction roller of a material placement head unit; and
multiplying the angular velocity by a circumference of the compaction roller.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining an angular velocity comprises detecting, counting, and establishing frequency of transitions between contrasting portions of a code ring coupled for common rotation with the compaction roller.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a first distance comprises:
counting revolutions of a compaction roller of the compaction component from course start of the one course to detection of the inconsistency; and
multiplying the counted revolutions by a circumference of the compaction roller.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the counting revolutions comprises detecting and counting transitions between contrasting portions of a code ring coupled for common rotation with the compaction roller.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a second distance comprises:
summing courses completed to produce a total completed course count; and
multiplying a predetermined course width by the total completed course count.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the summing completed courses comprises tracking receipt of signals from a machine load cell indicating whether pressure is being applied to a compaction roller of the compaction component.
17. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the second distance comprises:
selecting, from a digital image of at least a portion of the composite structure including the second distance, a pixel set representing the second distance;
determining a pixel count for the pixel set; and
correlating the pixel count with correlation data to determine the second distance.
18. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference area comprises a region of the composite structure bounded by the first and second distances.
19. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference area comprises a region of the composite structure bounded by predetermined linear and lateral distances.
20. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing a user interface for displaying inconsistency data and for allowing at least one user input.
21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
importing a part model of a composite structure;
overlaying a course grid on the part model; and
displaying to a user the part model and course grid.
22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:
repositioning the course grid overlay when a new ply is started;
and displaying to a user the part model and the repositioned course grid overlay.
23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
communicating with an inspection system inspecting the composite structure for inconsistencies.
24. The method of claim 1, wherein the compaction component and the camera mounted adjacent to the compaction component are both moved over a contoured, non-flat surface of the composite structure.
25. A method for determining an inconsistency characteristic of a composite structure, the method comprising:
using a sensor to determine a first distance from a first reference point of the composite structure to an inconsistency;
determining a second distance from a second reference point of the composite structure to the inconsistency;
using the first and second distances to establish a reference area of the composite structure;
considering each said inconsistency detected within the reference area and producing therefrom an inconsistency characteristic representative of the composite structure;
dividing the total inconsistency count by the reference area to produce an inconsistency per-unit area of the reference area; and
comparing the inconsistency density-per-unit area to a maximum allowable inconsistency-density-per-unit area.
26. A method for determining an inconsistency characteristic of a composite structure, the method comprising:
using a sensor to determine a first distance from a first reference point of the composite structure to an inconsistency;
determining a second distance from a second reference point of the composite structure to the inconsistency;
using the first and second distances to establish a reference area of the composite structure;
considering each said inconsistency detected within the reference area;
determining a width for each said inconsistency detected within the reference area;
summing the widths of the inconsistencies within the reference area to produce a width total for the reference area;
dividing the width total by the reference area to determine a cumulative inconsistency width-per-unit area of the reference area; and
comparing the cumulative inconsistency width-per-unit area to a maximum allowable cumulative inconsistency width-per-unit area.
27. A method for determining an inconsistency characteristic of a composite structure, the method comprising:
using a sensor to determine a first distance from a first reference point of the composite structure to an inconsistency;
determining a second distance from a second reference point of the composite structure to the inconsistency;
using the first and second distances to establish a reference area of the composite structure;
considering each said inconsistency detected within the reference area and producing therefrom an inconsistency characteristic representative of the composite structure;
wherein determining a first distance includes:
counting revolutions of a compaction roller from course start to detection of the inconsistency; and
multiplying the counted revolutions by a circumference of the compaction roller.