Jean Thomassin

Blade Tip Clearance Flow and Compressor Nonsynchronous Vibrations: The Jet Core Feedback Theory as the Coupling Mechanism

This paper investigates the role of tip clearance flow in the occurrence of nonsynchronous vibrations (NSVs) observed in the first axial rotor of a high-speed high-pressure compressor in an aeroengine. NSV is an aeroelastic phenomenon where the rotor blades vibrate at nonintegral multiples of the shaft rotational frequencies in operating regimes where classical flutter is not known to occur. A physical mechanism to explain the NSV phenomenon is proposed based on the blade tip trailing edge impinging jetlike flow, and a novel theory based on the acoustic feedback in the jet potential core. The theory suggests that the critical jet velocity, which brings a jet impinging on a rigid structure to resonance, is reduced to the velocities observed in the blade tip secondary flow when the jet impinges on a flexible structure. The feedback mechanism is then an acoustic wave traveling backward in the jet potential core, and this is experimentally demonstrated. A model is proposed to predict the critical tip speed at which NSV can occur. The model also addresses several unexplained phenomena, or missing links, which are essential to connect tip clearance flow unsteadiness to NSV. These are the pressure level, the pitch-based reduced frequency, and the observed step changes in blade vibration and mode shape. The model is verified using two different rotors that exhibited NSV.

The Tip Clearance Flow Resonance Behind Axial Compressor Nonsynchronous Vibration

Nonsynchronous vibration (NSV) is a particular type of aero-elastic phenomenon, where the rotor blades vibrate at nonintegral multiples of the shaft rotational frequencies. NSV behavior appears similar to off-design stall flutter but with a particular blade tip flow evolution. This paper demonstrates the link between NSV and the resonance induced by the tip clearance flow based on a proposed hypothesis and experimental confirmation. At off-design operating conditions, the rotor blade tip clearance shear layer flow can evolve tangentially. It is proposed that this tangential flow becomes a support for an acoustic feedback wave that settles between rotor blades. The feedback wave is driven by the blade vibratory motion and synchronizes the shear layer vortical structures with the blade vibration frequency. Depending on the blade tip local temperature, and when the feedback wavelength matches within one or two blade pitches, the system becomes resonant and very high vibrations can occur on the blade. An axial stage compressor test rig is set-up to look into the underlying mechanism behind NSV through targeted measurements using both static and rotating instrumentation. The experimental apparatus consists of the first stage of a high pressure compressor driven by an electric motor. The test-section is built to minimize the effects of the adjacent stator blade rows in order to isolate the role of rotor blade tip clearance flow on NSV. Sensitivity studies are carried out to assess and demonstrate the effects of the rotor blade tip clearance and inlet temperature on NSV and validate the predicted resonance for NSV occurrence under various conditions. Vibrations and surface pressure data from adjacent blades are collected to demonstrate the predicted interactions between neighboring rotor blades. Finally, evidence of the staging phenomenon, inherent to the proposed NSV mechanism, is experimentally obtained. All the data obtained are consistent with and thus in support of the proposed mechanism for NSV.

Numerical Investigation Into Non-Synchronous Vibrations of Axial Flow Compressors by the Resonant Tip Clearance Flow

This work investigates Non-Synchronous Vibrations (NSV) encountered in a turbine engine axial flow compressor using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach. It has been proposed that the resonance of the tip clearance flow in compressor blades could be the physical mechanism behind NSV. This work’s emphasis is on being able to computationally capture this resonance and predict the critical NSV speed using CFD. This would considerably reduce the costs involved in future hardware design and testing. The model uses the same compressor blade geometry on which experimental validation of the proposed NSV theory was conducted. The flow interaction with blade vibratory motion is modeled using a moving mesh capability and a SAS-SST turbulence model is used for computation. A review of the proposed theory on NSV is done. The CFD model is first verified with experimental data and then characterized to ensure that the simulations are conducted at the proper NSV conditions, in order to assess the resonance of the tip clearance flow. Evidence of this resonance behavior is presented and critical NSV speeds are identified based on numerical results for two different inlet temperature cases and are validated against experimental data. Further study of the actual flow structure associated with NSV is done. Additional remarks on the numerical results are discussed. An iterative design methodology to account for NSV is also proposed based on the current numerical study.© 2009 ASME

Blade Tip Clearance Flow and Compressor NSV: The Jet Core Feedback Theory as the Coupling Mechanism

This paper investigates the role of tip clearance flow in the occurrence of non-synchronous vibrations (NSV) observed in the first axial rotor of a high-speed high-pressure compressor (HPC) in an aero-engine. NSV is an aero-elastic phenomenon where the rotor blades vibrate at non-integral multiples of the shaft rotational frequencies in operating regimes where classical flutter is not known to occur. A physical mechanism to explain the NSV phenomenon is proposed based on the blade tip trailing edge impinging jet like flow, and a novel theory based on the acoustic feedback in the jet potential core. The theory suggests that the critical jet velocity, which brings a jet impinging on a rigid structure to resonance, is reduced to the velocities observed in the blade tip secondary flow when the jet impinges on a flexible structure. The feedback mechanism is then an acoustic wave traveling backward in the jet potential core, and this is experimentally demonstrated. A model is proposed to predict the critical tip speed at which NSV can occur. The model also addresses several unexplained phenomena, or missing links, which are essential to connect tip clearance flow unsteadiness to NSV. These are the pressure level, the pitch-based reduced frequency, and the observed step changes in blade vibration and mode shape. The model is verified using two different rotors that exhibited NSV.© 2007 ASME

Experimental Demonstration of the Tip Clearance Flow Resonance Behind Compressor Non-Synchronous Vibration

Non-Synchronous Vibration (NSV) is a particular type of aero-elastic phenomenon where the rotor blades vibrate at non-integral multiples of the shaft rotational frequencies. NSV behaviour appears similar to off-design stall flutter but with a particular blade tip flow evolution. This paper demonstrates the link between NSV and the resonance induced by the tip clearance flow, based on a proposed hypothesis. At off-design operating conditions, the rotor blade tip clearance shear layer flow can evolve tangentially. It is proposed that this tangential flow becomes a support for an acoustic feedback wave that settles between rotor blades. The feedback wave is driven by the blade vibratory motion. This forms a closed loop system where the feedback wave synchronizes the shear layer vortical structures with the blade vibration frequency. Depending on the blade tip local temperature, and when the feedback wavelength matches within one or two blade pitches, the system becomes resonant and very high vibrations can occur on the blade. An axial stage compressor test rig is used to look into the underlying mechanism behind NSV. The experimental apparatus consists of the first stage of a High Pressure Compressor (HPC) driven by an electric motor. The test section is built to minimize the effects of the adjacent stator blade rows to isolate the role of rotor blade tip clearance flow on NSV. Sensitivity studies are carried out to assess the effects of the rotor blade tip clearance and inlet temperature on NSV. Finally, evidence of the staging phenomena, inherent to the proposed NSV mechanism, is experimentally obtained.Copyright