Prediction of the dynamic response of complex transmission line systems for unsteady pressure measurements

Among the measurement and control systems of gas turbine engines, a recent new issue is the possibility of performing unsteady pressure measurements to detect flow anomalies in an engine or to evaluate loads on aerodynamic surfaces. A possible answer to this demand could be extending the use of well known and widely used transmission line systems, which have been applied so far to steady monitoring, to unsteady measurements thanks to proper dynamic modeling and compensation. Despite the huge number of models existing in the literature, a novel method has been developed, which is at the same time easy-to-handle, flexible and capable of reproducing the actual physics of the problem. Furthermore, the new model is able to deal with arbitrary complex networks of lines and cavities, and thus its applicability is not limited to series-connected systems. The main objectives of this paper are to show the derivation of the model, its validation against experimental tests and example of its applicability.