Improved Reliability of Bladed Disks due to Friction Dampers

Friction dampers are installed underneath the blade platforms to improve the reliability. Because of centrifugal forces the dampers are pressed onto the platforms. Due to dry friction and the relative motion between blades and dampers, energy is dissipated, which results in a reduction of blade vibration amplitudes. The geometry of the contact is in many cases like a Hertzian line contact. A three-dimensional motion of the blades results in a two-dimensional motion of one contact line of the friction dampers in the contact plane. An experiment with one friction damper between two blades is used to verify the two-dimensional contact model including microslip. By optimizing the friction dampers masses, the best damping effects are obtained. Finally, different methods are shown to calculate the envelope of a three-dimensional response of a detuned bladed disk assembly (V84.3-4th-stage turbine blade) with friction dampers.

Development and Fabrication of Silicon Nitride Components for Ceramic Gas Turbine

NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd. has been developing various silicon nitride materials, and the technology for fabricating components for ceramic gas turbines (CGT) using theses materials. We are supplying silicon nitride material components for the project to develop 300 kW class CGT for co-generation in Japan. EC-152 was developed for components that require high strength at high temperature, such as turbine blades and turbine nozzles. In order to adapt the increasing of the turbine inlet temperature (TIT) up to 1,350 °C in accordance with the project goals, we developed two silicon nitride materials with further unproved properties: ST-1 and ST-2. ST-1 has a higher strength than EC-152 and is suitable for first stage turbine blades and power turbine blades. ST-2 has higher oxidation resistance than EC-152 and is suitable for power turbine nozzles. In this paper, we report on the properties of these materials, and present the results of evaluations of these materials when they are actually used for CGT components such as first stage turbine blades and power turbine nozzles.

The International Engineering Student Exchange Program at the University of Waterloo

The importance of international engineering student exchange programs in today’s increasingly global marketplace is well accepted. This report describes aspects of the experience of the University of Waterloo with such a program which involves 26 institutions in 14 countries. A major element in a successful link is close collaboration between faculty coordinators at the two institutions.

Blade Fault Recognition Based on Signal Processing and Adaptive Fluid Dynamic Modelling

An approach for identification of faults in blades of a gas turbine, based on physical modelling is presented. A measured quantity is used as an input and the deformed blading configuration is produced as an output. This is achieved without using any kind of “signature”, as is customary in diagnostic procedures for this kind of faults. A fluid dynamic model is used in a manner similar to what is known as “inverse design methods”: the solid boundaries which produce a certain flow field are calculated by prescribing this flow field. In the present case a signal, corresponding to the pressure variation on the blade-to-blade plane, is measured. The blade cascade geometry that has produced this signal is then produced by the method. In the paper the method is described and applications to test cases are presented. The test cases include theoretically produced faults as well as experimental cases, where actual measurement data are shown to produce the geometrical deformations which existed in the test engine.

A One Dimensional, Time Dependent Inlet / Engine Numerical Simulation for Aircraft Propulsion Systems

The NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC) and the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) have developed a closely coupled computer simulation system that provides a one dimensional, high frequency inlet / engine numerical simulation for aircraft propulsion systems. The simulation system, operating under the LeRC-developed Application Portable Parallel Library (APPL), closely coupled a supersonic inlet with a gas turbine engine. The supersonic inlet was modeled using the Large Perturbation Inlet (LAPIN) computer code, and the gas turbine engine was modeled using the Aerodynamic Turbine Engine Code (ATEC). Both LAPIN and ATEC provide a one dimensional, compressible, time dependent flow solution by solving the one dimensional Euler equations for the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy. Source terms are used to model features such as bleed flows, turbomachinery component characteristics, and inlet subsonic spillage while unstarted. High frequency events, such as compressor surge and inlet unstart, can be simulated with a high degree of fidelity. The simulation system was exercised using a supersonic inlet with sixty percent of the supersonic area contraction occurring internally, and a GE J85-13 turbojet engine.

Life Prediction Method Under Creep-Fatigue Loading for Gas Turbine Combustion Transition Piece of Ni-Based Superalloy N263

In order to develop the life prediction method under creep-fatigue loading for gas turbine combustion transition piece, creep-fatigue tests were carried out on both as-received and aged Ni-based superalloy Nimonic 263. Crack initiation and propagation behaviors for the smooth specimen were observed. An unique relationship was obtained between life fraction and the maximum surface crack length under triangular wave shape loading tests, except the results for the trapezoidal wave loading tests. The latter results were due to the over estimation of the surface crack length at the crack initiation. These were caused from an oxide film break during straining. In the case of removing the oxide film before the measurement of surface crack, the relationship between life fraction and the maximum surface crack length obtained as unique relationship regardless of triangular and trapezoidal strain wave shapes. Using the life prediction method proposed, which is based on maximum surface crack length, the damage of combustion transition piece materials in service was evaluated.

Development of a Corrosion Resistant Directionally Solidified Material for Land Based Turbine Blades

Advanced turbines with improved efficiency require materials that can operate at higher temperatures. Availability of these materials would minimize cooling flow requirements and thus, improve the efficiency of a turbine. Advanced processing such as directional solidification (DS), can improve temperature capability of the majority of Ni based superalloys. However, results of earlier work on IN-738 reveal that the DS process does not significantly improve temperature capability of this alloy. A research program was initiated to develop a corrosion resistant Ni-based DS blade material for land-based turbines. In this program, eight heats with varied Cr, Al, Ti, Ta, and W contents were selected for evaluation. Screening tests performed on these heats in the DS condition include tensile, creep, and corrosion. The results of experimental heats were compared with those of IN-738 in the equiaxed condition. From these results, two chemistries offering approximately 100°F temperature advantage at typical row 1 turbine blade operating stress, were selected for castability and further mechanical property evaluation. Several row 1 solid and cored turbine blades were successfully cast. The blades were evaluated for grain structure and mechanical properties. Tests were also conducted to evaluate the effects of withdrawal rates on properties. These results are summarized in this paper.

Dynamic Behavior of Geared Rotors

This paper is concerned with the dynamic behavior of geared rotor systems supported by squeeze film dampers, wherein coupled bending torsion vibrations occur. Considering the imbalance forces and gravity, it is shown that geared rotors exhibit chaotic behavior due to non linearity of damper forces. The route to chaos in such systems is established. In geared rotor systems, it is shown that torsional excitation can induce lateral vibrations. It is shown that squeeze film dampers can suppress large amplitudes of whirl arising out of torsional excitation.

Testing of a Full Scale, Low Emissions, Ceramic Gas Turbine Combustor

The design and development testing of a full scale, low emissions, ceramic combustor for a 5500 HP industrial gas turbine are described. The combustor was developed under a joint program conducted by the U.S. DOE and Solar Turbines. The ceramic combustor is designed to replace the production Centaur 50S SoLoNOx burner which uses lean-premixed combustion to limit NOx and CO to 25 and 50 ppm, respectively. Both the ceramic and production combustors are annular in shape and employ twelve premixing, natural gas fuel injectors. The ceramic combustor design effort involved the integration of two CFCC cylinders (76.2 cm [30 in.] and 35.56 cm [14 in.] diameters) into the combustor primary zone. The ceramic combustor was evaluated at Solar in full scale test rigs and a test engine. Performance of the combustor was excellent with high combustion efficiency and extremely low NOx and CO emissions. The hot walls of the ceramic combustor played a significant role in reducing CO emissions. This suggests that liner cooling air injected through the metal production liner contributes to CO emissions by reaction quenching at the liner walls. It appears that ceramics can serve to improve combustion efficiency near the combustor lean limit which, in turn, would allow further reductions in NOx emissions. Approximately 50 hours of operation have been accumulated using the ceramic combustor. No significant deterioration in the CFCC liners has been observed. A 4000 hour field test of the combustion system is planned to begin in 1997 as a durability assessment.

Resonance Vibration of Mistuned Bladed Discs in Stationary Operations

A numerical model for the calculation of resonance stationary response of mistuned bladed disc is presented. The bladed disc model includes all important effects on a rotating system of the real geometry. The excitation forces were calculated by a code on the basis of two-dimensional compressible flow (to M < 0.8) for thin airfoil blades. The calculations presented in this paper show that centrifugal stress, and the values of excitation forces, play an important role in considering the influence of mistuning on the response level.