UPGRADE

"Complex dynamic interactions of nonlinear, multistage and localization phenomena in turbine engines: development and validation of efficient and accurate modeling techniques."

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Current and next-generation turbine engines will increasingly depend on onboard health monitoring and prognosis systems to help ensure the reliability, safety, and readiness of air vehicles.

To effectively interpret the measurement data required for monitoring and prognosis of turbine engines, efficient reduced models that show to capture the essential complex dynamic interactions of nonlinear, multistage, and localization phenomena must be employed. In the research project, advanced structural dynamic models and experimental validations will be developed for turbine engine rotors.

The main goals of the proposed research are: • To model and predict the nonlinear vibration response of a rotor with cracked blades or blades damaged by a foreign object, including accounting for random mistuning and multistage coupling. • To provide a fundamental physical understanding of localization phenomena in rotors due to individual and combined effects of mistuning and foreign object damage and/or cracks. • To identify localization phenomena and nonlinear vibration characteristics strongly associated with cracks to exploit them for structural health monitoring and damage detection.

Although structural health monitoring tools will not be developed directly in this research, the work will help describe and understand the fundamental nonlinear structural dynamics so that the proposed modeling technologies can be used in health monitoring and prognosis applications.

During the project, the fellow will acquire new competencies and skills in the field of non-linear modeling of cracked bladed disks and multi-stage modeling techniques of bladed disks, strengthening his academic profile in the field of modeling techniques and structural health monitoring of turbine engine.

The fellowship will impact on the career development of the fellow and on the European excellence and competitiveness due to the novel technical competencies that will be developed and transferred to the EU.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Enhancing the safety and reliability of air travel is an important part of the aerospace industry's research agenda. EU-funded work is laying the foundations for development of monitoring tools to minimise the effects of jet engine blade damage.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Turbine engine rotors, or bladed disks, are susceptible to vibration-induced problems. Severe vibration can have negative impact on mistuned bladed disks, those with small structural variations from factory manufacturing or wear. In addition, the ingestion of foreign objects into jet engines and resulting blade damage is responsible for a large percentage of gas turbine failures.

Implementation of on-board structural health monitoring (SHM) tools for blades is thus a top priority. EU-funded scientists are developing the building blocks with modelling work conducted for the UPGRADE project. Development of effective SHM techniques relies on excellent understanding of the underlying phenomena to be measured and their correlation to actual blade damage. Researchers are studying the fundamental physics behind the non-linear response of a rotor with damaged and/or mistuned blades.

During the first reporting period, scientists developed the code to produce a database of responses to various vibration frequencies (forced response analysis). This will be used to generate responses of both tuned and mistuned components to vibrations. Researchers also developed simplified (reduced-order) modelling techniques for the non-linear analysis of bladed disks. Having established the background required for the SHM, the team delivered a method for blade crack detection in mistuned and cracked bladed disks.

UPGRADE will deliver the requisite building blocks for an SHM system capable of detecting and localising damage to jet engine rotor blades. Mistuning and foreign object damage are the most common reasons that extreme vibrations lead to catastrophic damage. The techniques developed for online crack detection will facilitate critical maintenance and repair decisions leading to increased operational capabilities and readiness. The benefits will be felt by the aerospace industry, the EU economy and the passengers themselves.