SBIR-STTR Award

The AGT-1500 turbine engine is the basis of the M1 Abrams tank power-plant. A low-cost embedded dust detector (EDD) that could be integrated into the AGT-1500 would provide value to the M1's standard sensor equipment by reducing engine damage and improving operational readiness. However, the cost and effort of any significant addition requiring new wiring routes would rapidly eclipse the sensor cost and possibly outweigh resulting maintenance benefits. Therefore, TA proposes its "TED" sensor that combines a thorough understanding of the current state of COTS dust sensors and customized sediment signal analysis algorithms with an application-specific embedded processing and communications architecture suitable for the M1. The TED sensor requires minimal or no change to the wire harnessing on the M1 power-plant. TA's smart sensor architecture enables rapid conversion of COTS hardware for operation aboard the AGT-1500. TA's founders are among very few EDD developers who have proven ASTM-verified, gravimetric-equivalent test dust monitoring under Mil-Spec shock, vibration, temperature, and similar conditions. For the proposed effort, TA has formed a team with Honeywell's Propulsion group in Phoenix, Arizona and SWRI's Marty Treuhaft for performance testing expertise to enable rapid demonstration of an EDD applicable to installation aboard the M1.

Keywords:
Dust, Detector, Concentration, Micron Size, Turbine Blade Erosion, Air Filter, Retrofittable, Ted