An investigation on the failure of an L-O steam turbine blade

This paper presents an analysis of the cause of steam turbine blade fractures. Recently, several L-0 blades 28.5 in. (725 mm) long of a steam turbine fractured 5 in. (125 mm) from the blade root platform, causing the forced outage of the turbine. A finite-element analysis (FEA) of the blade was carried out in the beginning of the last decade to calculate the natural frequencies and the vibratory stresses on the blade. A telemetry test was also conducted. The current investigation analyzed the operational data during the last two years, reviewed the results of previous studies, conducted metallurgical investigations, and identified the mechanical and metallurgical modes of the failure. The results of the investigations showed that improper welding of the stubs was the principal cause of blade fracture.     

Failure analysis of steam turbine last stage blade tenon and shroud

This paper presents an analysis of the cause of steam turbine blade fractures. Recently, several L-0 blades 28.5 (725 mm) long of a steam turbine fractured 5 in. (125 mm) from the blade root platform, causing the forced outage of the turbine. A finite-element analysis (FEA) of the blade was carried out in the beginning of the last decade to calculate the natural frequencies and de vibratory stresses on the blade. A telemetry test was also conducted. The current investigation analyzed the operational data during the last two years, reviewed the results of previous studies, conducted metallurgical investigations, and identified the mechanical and metallurgical modes of the failure. The results of the investigations showed that improper welding of the shroud to the blade was the principal cause of blade fracture.     

Vibration based damage detection of rotor blades in a gas turbine engine

This paper describes the problems concerning turbine rotor blade vibration that seriously impact the structural integrity of a developmental aero gas turbine. Experimental determination of vibration characteristics of rotor blades in an engine is very important from fatigue failure considerations. The blades under investigation are fabricated from nickel base super alloy through directionally solidified investment casting process. The blade surfaces are coated with platinum aluminide for oxidation protection. A three dimensional finite element modal analysis on a bladed disk was performed to know the likely blade resonances for a particular design in the speed range of operation. Experiments were conducted to assess vibration characteristics of bladed disk rotor during engine tests. Rotor blade vibrations were measured using non-intrusive stress measurement system, an indirect method of blade vibration measurement utilizing blade tip timing technique. Abnormalities observed in the vibration characteristics of the blade tip timing data measured during engine tests were used to detect the blade damage. Upon disassembly of the engine and subsequent fluorescent penetrant inspection, it was observed that three blades of the rotor assembly were identified to have damaged. These are the blades that exhibited vibration abnormalities as a result of large resonant vibration response while engine tests. Further, fractographic analysis performed on the blades revealed the mechanism of blade failures as fatigue related. The root cause of blade failure is established to be high cycle fatigue from the engine run data history although the blades were put into service for just 6 h of engine operation.     

Failure of last-stage turbine blades in a geothermal power plant

This paper presents an investigation into causes of failure of geothermal steam turbine blades. Several L-0 blades of geothermal steam turbines of 110 MW capacity suffered failures, causing forced outages of the turbines. To assess the causes of failure, the natural frequencies of the blades installed on the rotor were measured in the laboratory. The measured frequencies were compared with the natural frequencies calculated through a finite-element analysis (FEA) of the blade. The FEA was also used to calculate the vibratory stresses on the blade numerically. Also, the investigation analyzed the operational data and the history of the blade failures on several rotors of different units from the same system. The results of previous repairs were reviewed, and metallurgical investigations were conducted to identify the mechanical and metallurgical modes of failure. The results of the investigation showed that the fracture of two blades was attributed to installation and manufacturing errors and aggravated by general deterioration of the blades. The deterioration was caused by the erosion and corrosion process that resulted from moisture condensation in the steam.     

基于Campbell理论的航空发动机涡轮叶片共振裕度分析

针对航空发动机涡轮叶片的共振特性会导致叶片发生疲劳断裂、振动失效等问题,本文以某型号航空发动机涡轮叶片为研究对象,开展共振裕度分析研究。首先基于试验自锤击法和有限元物理仿真计算两种方法同步分析叶片的振动特性,通过提取叶片在两种工作状态下前6阶的模态分析结果,验证了该模型的正确性与实用性。其次在已有模型基础上,通过绘制不同工作转速下的Campbell共振曲线图,结合该型号发动机的实际工况参数,进行了转速共振裕度的校核分析,对叶片上可能发生共振的工作转速进行了解析并提出优化及改进方案。本方法主要是为叶片的前期设计制造及共振安全性检验问题提供了充足的科学依据和方法。     

In Situ Detection of Turbine Blade Vibration and Prevention

Turbine blades are the most critical components in any power plant. Failure in even one rogue blade out of hundreds of blades fixed on the rotor leads to colossal damage to the machine. Statistics have shown that low-pressure turbine blades in steam power plants are generally more susceptible to failure compared to high- or intermediate-pressure blades. The mechanism of failures is different in each case and is generally very complex. As a result, a large number of blade failures are not fully understood. Two primary forces acting on the blades are the steady centrifugal force due to rotation and the fluctuating steam bending force. In view of no direct access to monitor the health of the blades through vibration or other means, indirect method using non-contacting probes have been attempted and some are in use in special cases. Largely these methods are expensive and intrusive in nature. They involve placing of sensors in the narrow space inside the turbine casing, routing special signal cables with sealing arrangement and involves difficulties in analyzing shot duration signals from each rotating blades. Unless a diagnostic technique is made simple to implement and whose reliability is proven, power plants will not find it attractive to invest on upgrade for safe operation of the machine. This article is about an innovative method of detecting the presence of blade vibration in operating turbine through vibration signal analysis and prevention through process control. The method is based on vibration analysis of the turbine casing. The casing vibration includes signals associated with the blades of different stages called as blade passing frequency (BPF). When the rotating blades vibrate, the analysis of changes in the BPF is a novel way of diagnosing blade vibrations. Signals captured from operating plants have been analyzed and blade vibrations have been detected and verified with Campbell diagram. Laboratory experiments were carried out on a rotating fan to demonstrate robustness of the diagnostics tool for turbine blades.     

Analytical and experimental investigations of the vibrations of a hollow blade model of turbines

The practice of using air-cooled blades for the increased efficiency of turbine stage is a recent feature with advanced aero-engines. The objective of the present paper is to describe the results of numerical and experimental investigation of the dynamical behaviour of hollow cross-sectioned blades. The analytical method consists in modelling the blades by means of a finite-element method to determine the natural frequencies and normal modes of a hollow cross-sectioned blade model. Numerical results are compared with experimental values obtained from holographic tests.     

Measurement of Strains in Turbine Blades Vibrating at Resonance Using Electro-optic Holography

Abstract

Phase-stepped stroboscopic electro-optic holography is employed for the measurement of strains on the surface of a turbine blade vibrating at resonance. The three components of the displacement vector are separated by recording interferograms using four independent illumination beams. The phase-stepping technique supplemented by the Fourier transform method is applied for the extraction of phase changes due to vibration. In-plane strains in a region of interest on the blade surface are calculated for one of the natural modes of vibration.     

风力机叶片挥舞摆振气弹失稳分析

为避免风机叶片在强风作用下发生破坏,需对其采取停机保护措施。该文研究叶片处于非旋转状态时的挥舞摆振气弹失稳现象发生的条件。基于风力机叶片简化模型,采用迭代法求解叶片的自振频率及振型,建立了非旋转叶片挥舞摆振气弹效应响应的振型叠加法,该方法可以便捷地进行叶片多工况气动弹性响应分析。计算了在不同风速不同攻角条件下叶片的挥舞摆振气弹效应响应,得到了叶片挥舞摆振响应随风速和风攻角的变化规律以及不稳定风攻角的分布特征。结果表明:在某些风攻角下,风机叶片挥舞摆振失稳现象在风速较低的情况就有可能发生,其响应幅值与结构阻尼联系紧密。另外,挥舞摆振失稳会大大增加作用于叶片上的风荷载,并进一步造成叶片结构的损伤破坏。     

Failure investigation of an auxiliary steam turbine

This paper presents the results of failure investigation of an auxiliary steam turbine in a power plant. Fractures were occurred at the lacing wires in the L1 blade cascade. The failure was occurred in repaired stages of blades after 47 days of an overhaul operation period. Visual inspection showed some regular fractures in the improper brazed joints and dimensional analysis showed that the lacing wire holes in the blades of the L1 stage are smaller than the originals. Fractographic investigation of fractured surface showed that the lacing wires had been exposed to a fatigue stress phenomenon. Finite element analysis showed that there is a high stress critical point near the brazing regions in comparison with original elements. Vibration analysis was performed experimentally and computationally to find the probable intersection points between the excitation harmonics and natural frequencies of blade cascade. Experimental test results verified the FEM analyses with good agreements. Obtained results from harmonic response analysis showed an approximate resonant condition of L1 blades during the operation of boiler feed pump turbine.     

Failure of a low pressure turbine rotor blade of an aeroengine

During a test run of an aeroengine, a low-pressure turbine rotor blade had failed. The turbine blades were made of Ni-base superalloy of CM 247 LC grade and fabricated by DS investment casting. The blades were coated with platinum aluminide. Investigation revealed that the blade had failed by fatigue. It was concluded that the coating on the blade had developed cracks due to excessive bending/vibration, which in turn propagated by fatigue leading to the failure.     

Failure probability estimation of steam turbine blades by enhanced Monte Carlo Method

Steam turbines are designed to work in stable operating conditions, including speed and load, to avoid mechanical stress variations. However, sometimes failures occur in the turbine components. The components having major breakdowns for fracture, an average of 75%, are the blades of the Low Pressure (LP) stage steam turbine. These blades produce around 10% of the output power turbines and 15% in some applications of combined cycle; generally longs, with a relatively low stiffness and such blades may present problems of high stress due to centrifugal forces. In this work probabilistic design procedure was applied to the group of ten blades of the LP stage steam turbine of 110 MW, in order to compute the stress changes and reliability due to variations in: damping, natural frequencies, vibration magnitude and density. The computed vibration stresses were analyzed by applying probability distributions and statistical parameters of input and output to compute the useful life. Monte Carlo technique and stochastic finite element method (SFEM) were applied. The results show that the Monte Carlo technique and SFEM are a good approach to estimate the useful life and reliability design of those blades.     

Investigation of Fatigue Failures of Titanium Alloy Blades Used in Compressor Modules of Aeroderivative Industrial Gas Turbines

Gas turbine axial compressor blades are designed to withstand cyclic stress loading resulting of modal vibrations. However, when surface suffers from foreign object damage, a fatigue crack is likely to initiate. In this paper two failure case-studies of titanium alloy used for aeroderivative gas turbine compressor blades are presented. Both are related to a failure of first stage compressor blades coming from different turbine power ranges. Observed cracks were found at blade spans corresponding to modal vibrations.     

Modeling Smart Structure of Wind Turbine Blade

With the increasing size of wind turbine blades, the need for more sophisticated load control techniques has induced the interest for aerodynamic control systems with build-in intelligence on the blades. The paper aims to provide a way for modeling the adaptive wind turbine blades and analyze its ability for vibration suppress. It consists of the modeling of the adaptive wind turbine blades with the wire of piezoelectric material embedded in blade matrix, and smart sandwich structure of wind turbine blade. By using this model, an active vibration method which effectively suppresses the vibrations of the smart blade is designed.     

混流式水轮机转轮叶片流激振动分析

结合小变形弹性理论和不可压缩粘性流体的最大功率耗散原理构造流体-叶片系统的功率泛函,通过广义变分原理建立了混流式水轮机转轮叶片在非定常湍流场中考虑流体-结构相互作用(FSI)的有限元模型,计算叶片在FSI情况下的流激振动。数值计算采用分离迭代格式,流动用大涡模拟(LES),叶片振动用直接积分法。试验模型以某型水轮机为原型设计制作,在一片叶片的正面和负面上分别装有5只Kulite的压力传感器,在另一片叶片上装有3只微加速度传感器。计算得到的叶片自振频率、频谱曲线以及加速度时程与试验实测结果是吻合的。     

An investigation on the failed blades in a locomotive turbine

A failure investigation has been conducted on the turbine blades used in a locomotive turbochanger, which are made from K418 Ni-base superalloy. Fractography investigation on the troubled blade indicates that cracks initiated from the surface of the concave side close to the trailing edge and propagated towards to the leading edge. The multi-origin fatigue fracture is the dominant failure mechanism of the blade. Metallographic morphology typical of over-heat damage features, such as re-dissolution of the eutectic γ + γ′, melting of the local region of the grain boundary appears in the microstructure of the airfoil part of the failed blades. Appearance of over-heat damage structure in the serviced blades makes the strength of the blade material decrease intensely to initiate fatigue cracks and make one of the blades fracture first. Fragments from the blade fractured first would crash the other blades to make the blades break or bending deformation.     

Failure analysis of the final stage blade in steam turbine

A failure case of the low pressure blades of steam turbine is presented in this paper. The suction side of blades has been quenched to improve the erosion resistance. Cracks with different lengths were found in the quenched region of final stage blades after about 13,200 h service. The failure analysis of blades was performed in terms of composition analysis, microstructure and mechanical tests, etc. The yield strength and tensile strength conform to the corresponding standard, whereas the elongation, area reduction and impact toughness are lower than the criteria. From the crack morphology, fractography and composition analysis on the fracture surface, it was found that the failure mechanism of blades is the environment-assisted fatigue fracture. The location of fatigue crack initiation is related with the salient of blades due to the stress concentration. In order to decrease the blade cracking susceptibility, the increment of tempered temperature in both modified treatment and high-frequency hardening was recommended.     

Failure analysis of components in compressor vane

The paper presents a failure analysis of components damaged in compressor vane. In order to investigate the damage mechanism and failure causes of components, macroscopic and microscopic observations, microstructural investigations, chemical analysis and hardness measurement have been performed. The results show that the damaged components are caused by fractured blades of 1st stage rotor. In all 1st stage rotor blades, 1^# blade is fractured firstly, and is troublemaker in this incident. The fracture mechanism of 1^# blade fractured from blade root is due to first order bending vibration fatigue damage. The microstructure, hardness and chemical compositions of 1^# blade fracture, all which coincide with technical requirements. The bad shot peening qualities in the surface near blade fracture have important influence on fatigue failure.     

Erosion-fatigue of steam turbine blades

The premature failure of steam turbine rotor blades, manufactured in forged 12% Cr–NiMoV martensitic stainless steel, was investigated using visual inspection, non-destructive testing, macro and microfractography, microstructural characterization, EDS microanalysis, chemical analysis, micro hardness and tensile testing. The blades belonged to the last stage of a thermoelectric plant steam turbine generator (140 MV A). The results indicated that the failure of the blades was promoted by foreign-particle erosion, which attacked preferentially the low-pressure side of the lower trailing edge of the blades. The resulting wear grooves acted as stress raisers and promoted the nucleation of fatigue cracks, which probably grew during the transition events of the steam turbine operation. Finally, water drop erosion was observed on the blade upper leading edge (low-pressure side).     

基于叶尖定时技术的叶轮叶片动态监测研究现状

叶轮作为旋转机械的核心部件之一,在复杂恶劣的工况中容易使叶片产生振动,进而引发疲劳断裂等失效形式,因此对叶片振动进行状态监测具有重要意义。非接触式的叶尖定时技术具有同时监测整级叶片的优势,为叶片振动及损伤诊断提供了有效方式。本文从叶尖定时传感、叶片振动及损伤监测等三个方面对国内外研究现状进行综述,总结了当前研究中存在的不足,并就叶尖定时技术及叶片健康监测的发展方向进行了展望。