The Significance of Stators

A motor is a vital device for numerous electric operations and is widely used in various equipment such as fans, power tools, appliances, electric vehicles, and hybrid cars. Electric motors even find use in aircraft jet engines, mainly to power electronic devices. A vital component used for numerous applications, motors comprise several essential parts such as rotors, commutators, windings, brushes, shafts, and much more. One such critical component is the stator.

Generally, it is recommended that you never mess with any motor parts unless there is a reason for doing so, as they are normally reliable and long-lasting. However, knowing what components make up your motor pays off when such instances arise. As aircraft comprise thousands of parts, it can be difficult to take care of every product, but for something as important as a stator, every aircraft owner must understand its functionality and proper servicing. As engineers, maintenance crew, and pilots alike should know how stators function, in this blog, we will discuss aircraft stators and their purpose in detail, as well as their relation to jet engine operations.

What Are the Main Components of a Jet Engine?

Turbojets are among the most common types of jet engines used in military and commercial aircraft. They generate all their power by producing a high-energy gas stream that exits out from the engine's nozzle, unlike other engines like turbofans or bypass machines.

One major component of a jet engine is the inlet and gas turbine assembly which contains a compressor, combustion chamber, turbine, and exhaust nozzle. Standard engine operations begin with the intake of air from the atmosphere via an inlet. Then the air is directed into the combustion chamber for compression using a compressor. Once the air reaches the required pressure, fuel is added to the combustion chamber for the ignition process. The burning fuel creates exhaust as the air begins to rapidly expand. As this expanding air continues through the system, the turbine extracts kinetic energy from the moving air and uses it to drive the compressor while the remaining energy is used to produce thrust. The engine's nozzle is designed with a unique shape that accelerates exhaust gasses to achieve propulsion. The power of this propulsive system can be selectively increased by incorporating an afterburner into the design, which increases efficiency in generating acceleration as necessary for traveling long distances. For engines and turbine assemblies to effectively make use of kinetic energy for powering systems, they rely on generator components such as the aircraft stator.

What Is an Aircraft Stator?

A stator is a stationary part of a rotary system and is often present in electric generators, electric motors, sirens, mud motors, and biological rotors, and is designed to transfer energy through the stator to or from a rotating apparatus. While stators are typically made from iron, steel, or printed circuit boards (PCBs), some stators may also contain additional components to create alternate effects. Regarding electric motors, they employ a stator with stationary windings and a core that interact to create a magnetic field that acts to drive a rotating armature. In aircraft motors or generator equipment, they are responsible for maintaining field alignment with the rotor by serving as a field coil or winding.

In an AC motor, the core of the stator is made up of thin steel laminates where coils are inserted. These coils, also referred to as field windings, are insulated wires generally fabricated from copper, those of which are connected to a power source. When current passes through this structure, it forms an electromagnet. In other words, the stator houses both field windings and poles in DC motors to form a magnetic circuit with the rotor. Moreover, field windings may also feature magnets, and each pole must contain at least one such winding, with its number determined by the voltage and current levels for that particular motor design.

When functioning in turbine engines, stators are responsible for keeping airflow from spiraling around an engine's axis by forcing it backward and parallel. Depending on the type of engine used, there may be multiple turbine stages in this process where air can be directed into the engine with rotor blades and compressed with the aid of stator blades. Stators and their related assemblies work together with jet engines to produce electricity or mechanical torque at different speeds depending upon aircraft system demands.

The rotor has fixed blades mounted on a spindle, and just as the propeller impels air rearwards, these blades perform a similar task. They are also referred to as small airfoils, and when the rotor rotates at high speeds, the blades produce high-velocity airflow. This high-velocity air then travels through the stator blades. The stator has multiple rotating ion blades, and each works as a diffuser. In this section of the assembly, the pressure of air is transformed into velocity. An individual compressor (the rotor/stator cluster) performs continuous compression during each stage, which further pressurizes air. The amount of air and the total pressure rise requirement of the system defines the number of stages carried out, and the more stages that are carried out, the greater the compression ratio is.

Conclusion

Every component of an aircraft should perform adequately for achieving an uninterrupted flight experience. However, even a small malfunction in the system can be catastrophic. As an aircraft owner, you must ensure that you buy all the components and parts you need from a trusted manufacturer. If you are looking for a reliable and trustworthy aircraft products distributor, then look no further than Aerospace and Defence Parts, a leading supplier of aircraft stators and other aircraft components. We guarantee quality assurance on every component and ensure a rapid delivery time. We are always ready to fulfill the needs of our customers, 24/7x365, so get in touch with a representative today. 

1. eric taylor
2. Posted on May 12, 2022
jet engines