LPTi was awarded the 2018 ASM Canada Council John Convey Innovation Award for Development and Demonstration of Material Physics Based Digital Twin and a Predictive Maintenance System for Gas Turbines (XactLIFE).
LPTi has developed world’s first predictive maintenance system for gas turbine components that considers the physics of damage accumulation arising due to creep, fatigue, thermal-mechanical fatigue and environmental loads as a function of actual engine usage at the microstructural level in each component to precisely predict their fracture critical locations and remaining useful life. The novel damage and fracture modeling approach of combining deformation kinetics and deformation mechanism theories is used to quantitatively consider the effects of material microstructure on damage accumulation rates and damage progression as a function of actual engine usage. Furthermore, materials engineering rules have also been developed and implemented to take into account the effects of the sequence of cyclic and steady state loads on damage accumulation rates and its progression. This damage modeling approach further considers the variability in the microstructure to perform probabilistic computations to predict the reliability of parts upfront rather than waiting for failure data from the field to accumulate to make such predictions. This software platform thus allows engine users and MROs to cost effectively maintain the engine fleets, optimize parts usage and provide operational readiness in the field. This technology has been qualified and implemented in the field with several aero engine and land based turbine users.
LPTi is an SME located in Ottawa Canada, offers customized predictive maintenance products and services to gas turbine life cycle managers and MROs. The patented XactLIFE framework enables engine usage based quantitative assessment of damage evolution in each critical engine part and provides additional intelligence to OEMs maintenance recommendations. Component design changes can also be assessed.