Blade Vibration Research Articles

Transonic compressor Darmstadt Open Test Case – unsteady aerodynamics and stall inception

Predicting unsteady aerodynamics and related phenomena in the vicinity of the stability limit of transonic compressors has been a challenging topic within the turbomachinery community since decades. To improve numerical tools and prediction capabilities the Transonic Compressor Darmstadt Open Test Case has been introduced to provide a reliable validation test data set for steady and unsteady compressor aerodynamics. This work investigates the unsteady aerodynamics before the occurrence of rotating stall within the TU Darmstadt OpenStage compressor rotor and introduces unsteady wall pressure data to the Darmstadt Open Test Case. Exemplary pre-stall aerodynamics and stall inception are investigated for nominal (transonic) and part speed (subsonic) operating conditions, comprising the analysis of the unsteady static pressure field at the rotor tip as well as spectral analysis of the corresponding pressure signals during transient throttling maneuvers. To capture the rotor tip flow field, the rotor casing is instrumented with axially arranged flush mounted time-resolving wall pressure transducers. To determine propagation speeds of occurring phenomena, additional circumferentially distributed sensors are considered. Vibration monitoring shows no significant flutter or non-synchronous blade vibration, prior to the occurrence of rotating stall. Thus, this work focuses on aerodynamics, such as the interaction of secondary flow and shocks.

Convolutional Deep Belief Network Based Expert System for Automated Fault Diagnosis in Hydro Electrical Power Systems

The paper developed an approach for fault diagnosis in Hydro-Electrical Power Systems (HEPS). Using a Renewable Energy System (RES), HEPS has performed a significant part in contributing to addressing the evolving energy demands of the present. Several electro-mechanical elements that collectively comprise the Hydro-Electric (HE) system are susceptible to corrosion from routine usage and unplanned occurrences. Administration and servicing systems that are successful in implementing and achieving these goals are those that regularly track and predict failures. Detect models applied in the past included those that were primarily reactive or reliant on human involvement to identify and analyse abnormalities. The significant multiple variables intricacies that impact successful fault detection are disregarded by these frameworks. The research presented here proposes a Convolutional Deep Belief Network (CDBN) driven Deep Learning (DL) model for successful fault and failure detection in such power systems that address these problems. Applying sample data collected from two Chinese power plants, the proposed framework has been assessed compared to other practical DL algorithms. Different metrics have been employed to determine the effectiveness of the simulations, namely Accuracy, Precision, Recall, and F1-score. These outcomes indicated that the CDBN is capable of predicting unexpected failures. Graphic representations demonstrating control used to measure turbine blade load, vibration level, and generator heat for assessing the replicas.

Identification of the Aeromechanical Parameters of a Compressor Rotor from Blade Tip Timing Data

Abstract This article presents a maximum likelihood approach to identifying the mistuning, aerodynamic forcing functions, and aerodynamic influence coefficients of compressor rotor blades from noisy experimental measurements of blade deflection. The maximum likelihood estimation approach leads naturally to a nonlinear least squares optimization problem that can be solved using numerical optimization techniques such as quasi-Newton methods. An eigenmode decomposition approach is presented that permits the optimization objective function and gradient to be efficiently calculated so that the optimization is computationally feasible, even for experiments involving very large data sets. Simulation results show that the method has the potential to accurately identify the mistuning and aerodynamic nodal diameter forcing functions, but obtaining accurate results for influence coefficients may not be possible if there is significant disk flexibility. We demonstrate the method using both simulated and experimental blade vibration data from rotor 2 of the Purdue University three-stage axial compressor research facility collected using a light probe tip timing system as the rotor is slowly accelerated or decelerated through a Campbell diagram crossing.

Relationship between Casing Pressure and Non-Synchronous Vibration in an Axial Compressor

The relationship between aerodynamic forcing and non-synchronous vibration (NSV) in axial compressors remains difficult to ascertain from experimental measurements. In this work, the relationship between casing pressure and blade vibration was investigated using experimental observations from a 1.5-stage axial compressor under off-design conditions. The wavenumber-dependent auto-spectral density (ASD) of casing pressure was introduced to aid in understanding the characteristics of pressure fluctuations that lead to the aeromechanical response. Specifically, the rotor blade’s natural frequencies and nodal diameters could be directly compared with the pressure spectra. This analysis indicated that the rotating disturbances coincided with the first bending (1B) and second bending (2B) vibration modes at certain frequencies and wavenumbers. The non-intrusive stress measurement system (NSMS) data showed elevated vibration amplitudes for the coincident nodal diameters. The amplitude of the wavenumber-dependent pressure spectra was projected onto the single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) transfer function and was compared with the measured vibration amplitude. The results showed a near-linear relationship between the pressure and vibration data.

Experimental and numerical investigations on non-synchronous vibration and frequency lock-in of transonic compressor rotor blades

Non-synchronous vibration (NSV) problems in axial compressors are challenging and frequently result in high vibration stress or structural failure within the frequency lock-in region. A deeper understanding of the lock-in phenomenon in NSV is necessary to improve blade reliability and safety. In this study, an experiment was conducted on a multistage transonic axial compressor to obtain frequency lock-in characteristics. The enforced motion of the flexible blade simulation method was used to study the frequency lock-in mechanism between blade vibration and tip unstable flow. The results showed that the aerodynamic frequency characteristic changed from a broadband spectrum to a distinct frequency peak as the NSV onset. The nonlinear vibration pattern could maintain the limited cycle oscillation for 26 s. The vibration stress of the frequency locked-in case was approximately 19 times that of the frequency unlocked one. The pressure fluctuations generated by the large-scale radial separation vortex structures were stronger than those of the tip leakage flow, and the third-order harmonic frequency of the circumferential instability flow was close to the first-order bending model natural frequency. The periodic shedding and reattachment process of flow separation provided the initial non-synchronous aerodynamic excitation source. The frequency lock-in phenomenon occurred at a maximum vibration amplitude of 2 % and 3 % tip chord length. The tip unstable flow characteristics were consistent and entirely dominated by blade vibration.

Insight into blade tip vibration and deformation characteristics of boiler circulation pumps induced by tip leakage vortex under different tip clearances

For circulating pumps in large power plant boilers, tip leakage flow is the main cause of blade fatigue. To investigate the correlation between tip leakage vortex and blade fatigue, in this paper, the bidirectional fluid structure coupling method is used to simulate the full flow field of the boiler circulating pump under different tip clearance sizes. The accuracy of the delayed detached vortex simulation method is verified by combining the external characteristics and vibration characteristics of the pump. It is obtained that tip leakage vortex is the main cause of blade tip vibration and deformation. Under deep stall conditions, the increase in tip clearance size suppresses the vibration displacement of the blade leading edge, while the opposite is true under optimal conditions. After decomposing tip leakage vortex, it is found that the compression–expansion term played a major role in the deformation of the blade tip, while the viscous dissipation term and the stretching term mainly affected the vibration frequency. At optimal working conditions, the main frequency of blade vibration is basically consistent with the main frequency of vortex generation. In deep stall condition, as the tip clearance size increases, the amplitude of the vibration main frequency decreases and the number of harmonic frequencies decreases, while the optimal condition is the opposite.

Multi-source uncertainty propagation and sensitivity analysis of turbine blades with underplatform dampers

Underplatform dampers (UPDs) mitigate turbine blade vibrations in aeroengines through friction dissipation generated by the contact interface. However, in UPD design, uncertainties are often overlooked, including manufacturing discrepancies, excitation forces, and wear factors, leading to suboptimal predictions of structural dynamic responses. This study presents a dynamic model for the blade-UPD system with cyclic symmetric attributes, which simulates uncertainties using statistical methods. An efficient algorithm using adaptive techniques is proposed to construct polynomial chaos expansions (PCE) for precise and efficient uncertainty quantification (UQ) in turbine blades with UPDs. Further, the influence of single/multiple parameter uncertainties on the dynamic characteristics of the blade-UPD is explored. Sobol' indices are then employed to assess the sensitivity of uncertain factors to the vibration reduction properties of UPDs. The findings suggest that the new approach, which offers precise UQ at minimal computational cost, outperforms traditional methods like Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Sparse Least Angle Regression (LARS). Observations reveal a significant impact of parameter uncertainties on blade-UPD dynamic responses, which manifest as "resonance bands" and "frequency shifts" in some cases. Sensitivity analysis indicates noticeable variations in Sobol' indices for each uncertainty parameter as the excitation frequency changes. Specifically, the uncertainty in the friction coefficient demonstrates pronounced sensitivity to amplitude when slip occurs at the contact interface. Furthermore, the observed "drop" phenomenon in Sobol' indices is explained.

Vortex-induced vibrations of wind turbines: From single blade to full rotor simulations

Vortex-induced vibrations (VIVs) of wind turbine blades are a phenomenon that cannot be predicted sufficiently accurate by low fidelity methods. High fidelity methods, such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) coupled to a structural solver come at a high computational cost. Most studies of the phenomenon have so far focused on analysis of single blades. For these cases, the so-called forced-motion method of prescribing the blade motion according to structural modeshapes has proven effective.In this article, VIVs of the IEA 10 MW reference turbine is studied in a fluid–structure interaction setup, where the structural dynamics of the full turbine are represented in the structural solver and the full rotor aerodynamics are simulated in the CFD solver. Due to the high computational cost this study is limited to only a single case with the rotor in bunny configuration, 80 degrees pitch and 90 degrees yaw. Also the purely structural power dissipation of the full turbine is studied to enable full rotor forced-motion in future work. A blade tip amplitude of roughly 17 meters is reached in the full turbine simulations, which is a significantly larger limit cycle amplitude than what would be reached in a corresponding isolated single blade simulation. The analysis also shows that forced-motion simulations combining three single blades vibrating according to the structural modeshape would be feasible. It is further observed, that the power injection or extraction close to the blade tip may change drastically at very large amplitudes compared to lower amplitudes.

Investigation of electrolyte pressure effect on blisk blades during electrochemical machining

PurposeThe purpose of this study is analysis of deformation and vibrations of turbine blades produced by high electrolyte pressure during electrochemical machining.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental setup was designed, experiments were conducted and the obtained results were compared with the finite element results. The deformations were measured according to various flow rates of electrolyte. In finite element calculations, the pressure distribution created by the electrolyte on the blade surface was obtained in the ANSYS® (A finite element analysis software) Fluent software and transferred to the static structural where the deformation analysis was carried out. Three different parameters were examined, namely blade thickness, blade material and electrolyte pressure on blade disk caused by mass flow rate. The deformation results were compared with the gap distances between cathode and anode.FindingsLarge deformations were obtained at the free end of the blade and the most curved part of it. The appropriate pressure values for the electrolyte to be used in the production of blisk blades were proposed numerically. It has been determined that high pressure applications are not suitable for gap distance lower than 0.5 mm.Originality/valueWhen the literature is examined, it is required that the high speed flow of the electrolyte is desired in order to remove the parts that are separated from the anode from the machining area during electrochemical machining. However, the electrolyte flowing at high speeds causes high pressure in the blisk blades, excessive deformation and vibration of the machined part, and as a result, contact of the anode with the cathode. This study provides important findings for smooth electro chemical machining at high electrolyte flows.

UHBR Open-Test Case Fan ECL5/CATANA: Non-Linear Analysis of Non-Synchronous Blade Vibration at Part-Speed Conditions

Abstract The onset of non-synchronous vibrations has been predicted for a composite open-test-case UHBR fan geometry by time-linearized simulations at part-speed conditions. In the current study, time-accurate simulations with harmonic blade oscillations have been conducted to investigate the non-linear behavior. Results for different operating conditions show the evolution of aeroelastic stability. The lock-in of convected aerodynamic disturbances with structural vibration is analyzed for different vibration amplitudes and frequencies. The simulations show the development of multiple wave numbers, mode scattering, and a non-linear dependency on vibration amplitude. The results indicate the possibility of limit-cycle prediction and the necessity of strongly coupled methods for the assessment of non-synchronous vibration.

Design theory for vibration characterisation experiments on real turbine blades with underplatform damper

One of the main causes of turbine rotor blade failures is high-frequency fatigue caused by blade resonance, and the vibration of turbine blades can be effectively suppressed through the reasonable design of dry friction damping structure. In order to understand the vibration characteristics of the blade-disc system and to check whether the damping effect meets the technical specifications, it is necessary to design and carry out dry friction damping blade vibration characteristics experiment. This paper takes a certain type of underplatform damped turbine blade in production as an example, and briefly describes the design idea and design process of such blade vibration characteristic experiments under the premise of the experiment blade structure, material and other physical parameters.

Using vibration to attenuate the adhesive friction behavior between screw conveyor blades and wet coal particles

Screw conveyors are widely used in the transportation of materials in the mining field. The characteristics of material the water content and material shape differences make it different from other powdery and other uniform particle adhesion and friction phenomena, which affects the conveying performance. In order to improve the capability of conveying particles, this paper adds the consideration of vibration factors on the basis of the existing particle lifting test, aiming to study the adhesion and friction mechanism of multi-shaped wet particles under the influence of vibration, and to determine the work parameter that can help improve the conveying performance. The trajectory of microscopic particles under radial and axial vibration conditions, the wear amount of particles on blades and the statistics of particle adhesion and friction intensity are analyzed by discrete element method. The test results show that the adhesion strength of wet coal particles will increase with the increase of water content, and vibration can reduce its adhesion and friction characteristics, and the impact of amplitude and frequency changes is different. The improvement of the amplitude and frequency of the axial vibration of the screw blade can improve the wet coal conveying rate and reduce the wear of the blade. In radial vibration, the transportation rate of wet coal first increases and then decreases with the increase of the amplitude, but the wear amount gradually increases and causes adhesion phenomenon. The transportation rate increases with the increase of frequency, but the wear amount first decreases after increasing. The direction of the radial vibration has an effect on the wear and has little effect on the transportation rate. These results can provide guidance for reducing the adhesion of wet particles and improving the conveying rate in screw conveying.

Quantification of Blade Vibration Amplitude in Turbomachinery

Experimental monitoring of blade vibration in turbomachinery is typically based on blade-mounted strain gauges. Their signals are used to derive vibration amplitudes which are compared to modal scope limits, including a safety factor. According to industrial guidelines, this factor is chosen conservatively to ensure safe operation of the machine. Within the experimental campaign with the open-test-case composite fan ECL5/CATANA, which is representative for modern lightweight Ultra High Bypass Ratio (UHBR) architectures, measurements close to the stability limit have been conducted. Investigation of phenomena like non-synchronous vibrations (NSV) and rotating stall require a close approach to the stability limit and hence demand for accurate (real-time) quantification of vibration amplitudes to ensure secure operation without exhaustive safety margins. Historically, short-time Fourier transforms of vibration sensors are used, but the complex nature of the mentioned coupled phenomena has an influence on amplitude accuracy, depending on evaluation parameters, as presented in a previous study using fast-response wall-pressure transducers. The present study investigates the sensitivity of blade vibration data to evaluation parameters for different spectral analysis methods and provides guidelines for fast and robust surveillance of critical vibration modes.

Parametric Vibration and Combined Resonance of a Bending-Torsional Coupled Turbine Blade With a Preset Angle

Abstract The parametric vibration and combined resonance of a turbine blade with a preset angle subjected to the combined effect of parametric and forced excitation were investigated. The blade was modeled as a rotating beam considering the effects of centrifugal, gyroscopic, and bending-torsion coupling. The instability region of the corresponding linear system with parametric excitation was analyzed using Floquet theory, and the effect of blade parameters on this region was discussed. Notably, the parametric vibration of the torsional degree-of-freedom (DOF) caused by parametric excitation of the bending degree-of-freedom has been found. The results show that the size and position of the parameter resonance region are affected by the blade aspect ratio and preset angle, respectively. Furthermore, the multiscale method was employed to solve the blade equation under the combined action of parametric and forced excitation to study the combined resonance caused by forced excitation and gyroscopic items. The effect of blade parameters and excitation characteristics on regions of combined resonance were investigated. The phenomenon of heteroclinic bifurcation was observed due to changes in the excitation frequency, and the harmonic components that accompanied the bifurcation changed. Specifically, a multiperiod response dominated by the excitation frequency and subharmonic components shifted to a single-period response dominated by subharmonic components. This study provides a theoretical explanation for the nonsynchronous resonance of blades and the subharmonic signals in blade vibration and guides blade parameter design, especially for wind turbines.

Experimental and numerical study of high-intensity sound in the cavity between rotator and stator of high- pressure compressor

An experiment is conducted in a multistage high-pressure compressor to investigate noise and rotor blade vibration. When vibration with high amplitude occurs in the rotor blade, high-intensity sound occurs within the compressor. The amplitude of noise inside the compressor varies with the amplitude of blade vibration, and the variation laws are consistent. Therefore, an annular disk cavity model, the simplified cavity between the rotator and stator of a high-pressure compressor, is built to study the high-intensity sound in the compressor by numerical simulation. The motion processes of the vortex structure inside the cavity are captured. The acoustic mode of the annular disk cavity model is excited at Ma 0.2, at the same time the sound pressure in the cavity is characterized with obvious a form of circumferential second order. The internal sound pressure gradually increases along the radial direction. Meanwhile, an annular disk cavity structure is established for experimental study. The characteristics of the acoustic mode of the annular disk cavity structure obtained in the simulation and experiment are consistent.

Investigation of inlet flow influenced on the first rotor flow instability at blade non-synchronous vibration state

Multistage axial compressor first stage rotor blades have occurred non-synchronous vibration (NSV). An experiment, including fluid and structure measurements, is adopted at the NSV occurred conditions to conduct a detailed investigation about NSV and rotating instability. The blade vibration stress was obtained from the strain gauges. High-frequency response two-hole pressure probes captured the flow characteristics at the inlet and outlet of the first stage rotor. NSV has a complex aerodynamic disturbance source. Wavelet and frequency spectrum analyses of pressure and blade stress results were utilized to determine the relationship between the blade vibration and the flow field. The inlet flow angle has been adjusted through the inlet guide vane (IGV) to reduce the vibration intensity. This paper revealed the aerodynamic origin behind this adjustment of IGV angle operation. The yaw angle and the axial direction March number at the first stage rotor inlet at different inlet guide vane (IGV) angles revealed the aerodynamic effect. Three operation points, including the maximum stress point and near surge point, are analyzed to broaden the cognition boundary of the NSV. The time and space characteristics of the rotating instabilities have been studied with the azimuthal mode analysis method. This research confirmed that the enlarged inlet incidence angle and the tip flow worsened caused the first stage rotor non-synchronous vibration in this multistage axial compressor. These experiments help find a straight relationship between the NSV and rotating instability.

A study on coupled edgewise and flapwise vibration modes of wind turbine blade

The coupled flapwise and edgewise vibrations of a horizontal axis wind turbine blade (HAWT) are discussed in this paper. Kinetic and potential energies of the blade are evaluated with consideration of the effects of gravity and aerodynamic forces. Hamilton’s principle is employed to develop the nonlinear coupled modal equations of the blade. The coupling between the first order edgewise and the first two order of flapwise modes is considered. This leads to three equations with nonlinear terms. Multiple-scales perturbation method is employed to solve these equations. Furthermore, the numerical values of structural specifications of National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 5-MW reference wind turbine blade are used, for example. It is shown that first edgewise and first flapwise vibrations are dominant, while second flapwise mode of vibration is less significant in the case of transient responses. Energy transfer between resonant modes is observed in both internal and combination resonances. The amplitude–frequency curves and phase diagrams during primary and combination resonances are obtained for the steady-state responses. Combination and primary resonances are further examined by considering various factors such as geometric nonlinearity and aerodynamic force.

Study on blade vibration of centrifugal compressor - Forced responses caused by casing treatment

A casing treatment of centrifugal compressor for turbochargers is a very important device in aerodynamic performance improvement because it enables to expand an operating range of compressor. However, a rib existing in the circulation flow path of casing treatment is one of the factors causing a resonance problem. In this study, the relationship between a casing treatment and blade vibration was investigated by frequency response analysis that combines computational fluid dynamics and finite element method. As a result, it was clarified that the difference in the amount of vibration response and the excitation mechanism by the existence of rib.

Advanced Noncontact Sensors for Blade Tip-Timing Systems

The conference paper addresses noncontact sensors for measuring vibrations of machine blades using the Blade Tip Timing method. An overview of sensors based on the electromagnetic principle suitable for the harsh environment of low-pressure stages of steam turbines is presented. Special attention is further given to magnetoresistive sensors and possibilities for increasing their sensitivity. Variants of the sensors with controlled, adaptive, and intelligent operating principles are discussed. The properties and advantages of each version of the solution are demonstrated.

Primary Resonance in a Weakly Forced Oscillator With Both Parametric Damping and Stiffness

Abstract We study the primary resonance of a parametrically damped Mathieu equation with direct excitation. Potential applications include wind-turbine blade vibration with cyclic stiffening and aeroelastic effects, which may induce parametric damping, and devices with designed cyclic damping for resonance manipulation. The parametric stiffness, parametric damping, and the direct forcing all have the same excitation frequency, with phase parameters between these excitation sources. The parametric amplification at primary resonance is examined by applying the second-order method of multiple scales. With parametric stiffness and direct excitation, it is known that there is a primary parametric resonance that is an amplifier under most excitation phases, but can be a slight suppressor in a small range of phases. The parametric damping is shown to interact with the parametric stiffness to further amplify, or suppress, the resonance amplitude relative to the resonance under parametric stiffness. The effect of parametric damping without parametric stiffness is to shift the resonant frequency slightly, while inducing less significant resonance amplification. The phase of the parametric damping excitation, relative to the parametric stiffness, has a strong influence on the amplification or suppression characteristics. There are optimal phases of both the direct excitation and the parametric damping for amplifying or suppressing the resonance. The effect of the strength of parametric damping is also studied. Numerical simulations validate the perturbation analysis.