Issues Regarding Army Turboshaft Engine Diagnostics and Condition Monitoring

This paper presents an overview of the subject of gas turbine engine diagnostics for Army helicopters and addresses .some of the issues impacting the development and use of diagnostic and condition monitoring equipment and techniques on Army turboshaft engines. Maintenance of engines by modules is an accepted and demonstrated cost-effective method for commercial aircraft engines. It has also been readily accepted as an efficient approach for several military engines on fixed-wing aircraft. The concept of maintenance of engines by modules is new to the turboshaft engine community. Because the Army is moving into an era of modular turboshaft helicopter engines, modular engine maintenance and its supporting diagnostics equipment represents a field which is unprecedented by the Army. The paper identifies the issues and activities associated with the advancement and employment of diagnostic and condition monitoring equipment for Army turboshaft engines. It concludes that the subject is one which is ever improving because of the rapid changes in today's technology.