{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,18]],"date-time":"2026-01-18T15:10:25Z","timestamp":1768749025740,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2017,5,11]],"date-time":"2017-05-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1494460800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National High Technology Research and Development Program of China","award":["2013AA102402"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2013AA102402"]}]},{"name":"National Natural Science Foundations of China","award":["61501319"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["61501319"]}]},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Micro Opto-electro Mechanical System Technology, Tianjin University,","award":["MOMST2015-7"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MOMST2015-7"]}]},{"name":"National Marine economy innovation development area demonstration project","award":["cxsf2014-2"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["cxsf2014-2"]}]},{"name":"Tianjin Natural Science Foundations of China","award":["17JCQNJC01100"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["17JCQNJC01100"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Blade tip timing is an effective method for blade vibration measurements in turbomachinery. This method is increasing in popularity because it is non-intrusive and has several advantages over the conventional strain gauge method. Different kinds of sensors have been developed for blade tip timing, including optical, eddy current and capacitance sensors. However, these sensors are unsuitable in environments with contaminants or high temperatures. Microwave sensors offer a promising potential solution to overcome these limitations. In this article, a microwave sensor-based blade tip timing measurement system is proposed. A patch antenna probe is used to transmit and receive the microwave signals. The signal model and process method is analyzed. Zero intermediate frequency structure is employed to maintain timing accuracy and dynamic performance, and the received signal can also be used to measure tip clearance. The timing method uses the rising and falling edges of the signal and an auto-gain control circuit to reduce the effect of tip clearance change. To validate the accuracy of the system, it is compared experimentally with a fiber optic tip timing system. The results show that the microwave tip timing system achieves good accuracy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s17051097","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,5,11]],"date-time":"2017-05-11T11:06:46Z","timestamp":1494500806000},"page":"1097","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":40,"title":["A Blade Tip Timing Method Based on a Microwave Sensor"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Jilong","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology and Instruments; Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China"}]},{"given":"Fajie","family":"Duan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology and Instruments; Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China"}]},{"given":"Guangyue","family":"Niu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology and Instruments; Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0611-6501","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jiajia","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology and Instruments; Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China"}]},{"given":"Jie","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"China Gas Turbine Establishment; Chengdu 610500, China"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,5,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"480","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ymssp.2005.02.011","article-title":"Monitoring low cycle fatigue damage in turbine blade using vibration characteristics","volume":"21","author":"Kumar","year":"2007","journal-title":"Mech. Syst. Signal Process."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"211","DOI":"10.1016\/j.engfailanal.2012.05.012","article-title":"Vibration analysis for detecting failure of compressor blade","volume":"25","author":"Rao","year":"2012","journal-title":"Eng. Fail. Anal."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"885","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsv.2008.01.050","article-title":"Modal parameter identification of mistuned bladed disks using tip timing data","volume":"314","author":"Salhi","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. Sound Vib."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"125003","DOI":"10.1088\/0957-0233\/23\/12\/125003","article-title":"Bladed disc crack diagnostics using blade passage signals","volume":"23","author":"Hanachi","year":"2012","journal-title":"Meas. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Diamond, D.H., Heyns, P.S., and Oberholster, A.J. (2014, January 28\u201331). A comparison between three blade tip Timing algorithms for estimating synchronous turbomachine blade vibration. Proceedings of the 9th World Congress on Engineering Asset Management (WCEAM), Pretoria, South Africa.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-15536-4_18"},{"key":"ref_6","first-page":"27247","article-title":"A class of methods for the analysis of blade tip timing data from bladed assemblies undergoing simultaneous resonances\u2014Part I: theoretical development","volume":"2007","author":"Dimitriadis","year":"2007","journal-title":"Int. J. Rotating Mach."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2419","DOI":"10.3390\/s150202419","article-title":"A non-uniformly under-sampled blade tip-timing signal reconstruction method for blade vibration monitoring","volume":"15","author":"Hu","year":"2015","journal-title":"Sensors"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wiseman, M.W., and Guo, T.H. (2001, January 25\u201327). An investigation of life extending control techniques for gas turbine engines. Proceedings of the American Control Conference, Arlington, VA, USA.","DOI":"10.1109\/ACC.2001.946211"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"15494","DOI":"10.3390\/s150715494","article-title":"Optical fiber sensors for aircraft structural health monitoring","volume":"15","author":"Zubia","year":"2015","journal-title":"Sensors"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"034103","DOI":"10.1117\/1.OE.54.3.034103","article-title":"Numerical analysis of the blade tip-timing signal of a fiber bundle sensor probe","volume":"54","author":"Guo","year":"2015","journal-title":"Opt. Eng."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7385","DOI":"10.3390\/s130607385","article-title":"An Optical Fiber Bundle Sensor for Tip Clearance and Tip Timing Measurements in a Turbine Rig","volume":"13","author":"Beloki","year":"2013","journal-title":"Sensors"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1693","DOI":"10.1088\/0957-0233\/17\/7\/007","article-title":"Turbo machine tip clearance and vibration measurements using a fibre optic laser doppler position sensor","volume":"17","author":"Pfister","year":"2006","journal-title":"Meas. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_13","unstructured":"Michael, T. (2010). Method and Apparatus for Tracking a Rotating Blade Tip for Blade Vibration Monitor Measurements. (US7836772B2), Patent."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chana, K.S., and Cardwell, D.N. (2008, January 9\u201313). The use of eddy current sensor based blade tip timing for FOD detection. Proceedings of the ASME Turbo Expo 2008: Power for Land, Sea, and Air, Berlin, Germany.","DOI":"10.1115\/GT2008-50791"},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"Cory, R., and Andreas, H.V. (2005). Passive Eddy Current Blade Detection Sensor. (US6927567B1), Patent."},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"Cory, R., Andreas, H.V., and Benjam, L. (2007). Blade Detection Sensor Having an Active Cooling System. (US7170284B2), Patent."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1583","DOI":"10.1109\/TIM.2013.2289580","article-title":"New methods of noncontact sensing of blade vibrations and deflections in turbomachinery","volume":"63","author":"Prochazka","year":"2014","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1016\/S0924-4247(04)00482-0","article-title":"Tubomachinery blade vibration amplitude measurement through tip timing with capacitance tip clearance probes","volume":"118","author":"Lawson","year":"2005","journal-title":"Sensor Actuators A Phys."},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"Gilles, B., and Samim, A. (1999). Capactive Sensor Including a Coaxial Cable and a Probe. (US5973502), Patent."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Geisheimer, J.L., Billington, S.A., Holst, T., and Burgess, D.W. (2005, January 10\u201313). Performance testing of a microwave tip clearance sensor. Proceedings of the AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference, Tucson, AZ, USA.","DOI":"10.2514\/6.2005-3987"},{"key":"ref_21","first-page":"145","article-title":"Application of Blade-Tip Sensors to Blade-Vibration Monitoring in Gas Turbines","volume":"Volume 8","author":"Mohammad","year":"2012","journal-title":"Thermal Power Plants"},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"Alexander, M., Mikhail, B., and Maksim, S. (2012, January 11\u201315). Microwave blade tip clearance measurements: principles, current practices and future opportunities. Proceedings of the ASME Turbo Expo 2012, Copenhagen, Denmark."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wagner, M., Schulze, A., Vossiek, M., Stephelbauer, C., Weigel, R., Vortmeyer, N., and Heide, P. (1998, January 7\u201312). Novel microwave vibration monitoring system for industrial power generating turbines. Proceedings of the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest, Baltimore, MD, USA.","DOI":"10.1109\/ARFTG.1998.327293"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Violetti, M., Xu, Q., Hochreutiner, O., and Skrivervik, A.K. (2012, January 4\u20137). New microwave sensor for on-line blade tip timing in gas and steam turbines. Proceedings of the 2012 Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference (APMC 2012), Kaohsiung, Taiwan.","DOI":"10.1109\/APMC.2012.6421823"}],"container-title":["Sensors"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/17\/5\/1097\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T18:35:24Z","timestamp":1760207724000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/17\/5\/1097"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2017,5,11]]},"references-count":24,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,5]]}},"alternative-id":["s17051097"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/s17051097","relation":{},"ISSN":["1424-8220"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1424-8220","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2017,5,11]]}}}