Understanding Aircraft Turbine Engine Maintenance
The aircraft turbine engine is a common power plant type for a number of jet aircraft, providing for their ability to generate thrust and propulsion through exhaust. As with any aircraft engine or component, the turbine engine needs to be regularly inspected and maintained as to ensure that it performs optimally and safely. The procedures often vary depending on the design and construction of the engine, and it is highly recommended to follow instructions as set out by the specific manufacturer that produced the engine in question. Nevertheless, there are some basic procedures that carry over across most turbine engine types, and we will discuss these as to provide general information to help you become more familiar with such maintenance.
When conducting maintenance on the aircraft turbine engine and components, it is always important to act with caution to ensure that parts are cleaned, inspected, and maintained correctly to avoid damages. Such an example of a critical area is the compressor, in which damaged blades can easily lead to failure of the engine. Blade damage is often caused by the presence of foreign matter such as dirt, soot, oil, and other particles that may accumulate and deteriorate components. Typically, well rounded damage that is present on leading and trailing edges is acceptable as long as the damage is along the outer half of the blade, as well as does not exceed indentation values as dictated by the manufacturer or other authority. If damage is on the inner half of the blade, it should be treated with extreme caution, warranting the use of magnetic particle or fluorescent penetrant inspection to check that all damages have been attended to thoroughly.
Contaminants may also be present in other areas of the aircraft turbine engine, such as within fuel and from water injection. For fuel, it is important to replace gas turbine filter components, also ensuring that oil and water levels are monitored during servicing. As water injection and steam injections may also allow the entrance of contaminates, these areas should be thoroughly inspected so that contaminates do not cause hot gas path degradation.
Across miscellaneous engines and components, another extremely vital maintenance procedure to follow is applying the correct amount of torque to anything. Oftentimes, components may be tightened without a torque wrench, leading to technicians using the “elbow” gage of measurement. This can often lead to failures if the correct amount of torque is not applied due to mechanical fatigue or loosening, warranting a reminder of the consequences of improper procedures. Similar to any other facet of inspection and maintenance, technicians should always strictly follow instructions and values as dictated by the engine’s manufacturer.
No matter what type of aircraft gas turbine engine that you have for your aircraft, it is always critical to ensure that it is regularly inspected following the guidelines that are presented by the manufacturer, as well as the local aviation authority that you operate under. When it comes time to begin sourcing the turbine engine and components that you need for your operations, One Click Purchasing has you covered with everything you are searching for. One Click Purchasing is owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, and we can help you find the aviation, NSN, and electronic parts that you are searching for, new or obsolete. As a premier supplier of parts for the aerospace, civil aviation, and defense industries, we're always available and ready to help you find all the parts and equipment you need, 24/7x365. ASAP Semiconductor is an FAA 0056B accredited and AS9120B, ISO 9001:2015 certified enterprise. a quick and competitive quote, email us at sales@oneclickpurchasing.com or call us at +1-412-212-0606
