Sensor de temperatura de rótula de helicóptero para determinação da sua vida útil.

Abstract

The aerospace industry demands high costs not only in the manufacture of equipment and vehicles but also with their maintenance of these. With situations that can reach up to 50 hours of maintenance for every hour of flight, there is a special need to optimize this process. In the case of this work, the target of study is the joint ball of a helicopter, the piece that allows for the axial displacement of the blades of the vehicle. Currently, the concept of "smart joint ball", in which a chip is integrated into the piece in order to analyze its state based on several parameters. The temperature is a promising parameter for the analysis of the life-cycle state of the joint ball, however it is still not clear on which sensor technology better adapts to this application. In this work, thermistors, resistance thermometers, thermocouples and diodes for temperature measurement are analyzed based on real criteria for a helicopter. The diode is selected because it reaches dimensions of the order of 1mm and has a sensitivity in the range of - 2mV/°C. It is also a low-cost element and its results demonstrate satisfactory operation even when fed at 100μA. The work is completed validating its potential for this type of specific application, but also emphasizing the interest in diverse uses, as in electronic systems and student applications.