Numerical stress and crack initiation analysis of the compressor blades after foreign object damage subjected to high-cycle fatigue

This paper presents results of the complex stress and crack initiation analysis of the PZL-10 W turbo-engine compressor blade subjected to high cycle fatigue (HCF). A nonlinear finite element method was utilized to determine the stress state of the blade during the first mode of transverse vibration. In this analysis, the numerical models without defects and also with V-notches were defined. The quality of the numerical solution was checked by the convergence analysis. Obtained results were next used as an input data into crack initiation (ε–N) analyzes performed for the load time history equivalent to one cycle of the transverse vibration. In the fatigue analysis the different methods such as: Neuber elastic–plastic strain correction, linear damage summation and Palmgreen–Miner rule were utilized. As a result of ε–N analysis, the number of load cycles to the first fatigue crack appearing in the compressor blades was obtained. Moreover, the influence of the blade vibration amplitude on the number of cycles to the crack initiation was analyzed. Values of the fatigue properties of the blade material according to Baumel–Seeger and Muralidharan methods were calculated. The influence of both the notch radius and values of the UTS of the blade material on the fatigue behavior of the structure was also considered. In the last part of work, the finite element results were compared with the results of an experimental vibration HCF tests performed for the compressor blades.     

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.     

Investigation on Fracture Behaviour of Turbine Blades Under Self‐Exciting Modes

Abstract: This paper investigates the failure mechanisms of turbine blades occurring during similar conditions of turbine operation. Optical techniques are utilised to identify critical frequencies that may be the cause of blade fractures. For that purpose, time average, stroboscopic holographic interferometry and holographic moiré are utilised to record vibration patterns. Strain maps are computed from stroboscopic and holographic moiré patterns. Stress distributions are computed under the assumption of linear elasticity. It is found that stress trajectories deduced from holographic measurements match well with the initial trajectories of crack observed for the in‐service broken specimens. This fact allows the excitation modes causing blade fractures to be identified. Finite element analyses carried out on models corrected in view of the experimentally observed vibration modes provide the values of stress causing fracture initiation. The paper discusses the failure mechanisms of the blades on the basis the experimental evidence and finite elements results. The observed failure modes seem to be a form of the principal normal stress fracture criterion. An argument based on damage accumulation explains the observed behaviour. Further evidence on failure mechanisms is gathered from scanning electron microscope images of the fractured specimens.     

Failure analysis and retrofit design of low pressure 1st stage blades for a steam turbine

Cracking of blade fingers occurred in a few numbers of low pressure 1st stage blades for a certain type of steam turbines. In order to find out the failure mechanism, one of the cracked blades has been inspected. The inspection results showed that the cracking of the blade finger was caused by high cycle fatigue and surface defect coming from rough machining induced the initiation of crack. Vibratory modes of the blade group have been calculated and measured using a 3D finite element S/W and impact test, respectively. The results showed that resonance of the second type group axial vibration mode with nozzle passing frequency was the source of high cycle fatigue load. To avoid the dangerous resonance, the blade groups have been modified into 10 blades per group without any change of vane and dovetail. The new blade groups have been operated safely more than 2 years since the modification.     

Free transverse vibration of rotating blades in a bladed disk assembly

This paper investigates the natural frequency of free transverse vibration of blades in rotating disks to examine the relationship of natural frequencies, blade stiffness and nodal diameters to study how neighboring blades react upon each other and affect blade natural frequency. With the use of elastic hinge theory and a cantilever beam model subjected to either a transverse concentrated force or a bending moment at the free end, the force-deflection stiffness/moment-rotation stiffness of the beam have been developed. Thereafter, the reaction forces and moments from the neighboring blades have been determined without the need for an exact solution of large deformation of cantilever beams including geometrical nonlinearity effects. With the use of the energy conservation principle and modal theory, the natural frequency of free transverse vibration of blades in rotating disks has been determined for any nodal diameter. A comparison of the analytical and finite element solutions for a bladed disk with uniform aerofoils shows that the analytical method presented in this paper is accurate.     

Study of the fracture of the last stage blade in an aircraft gas turbine

The fracture on the blade in an aircraft gas turbine has been studied to see the cause of crack initiation. The turbine blades were made of Ni-base superalloy of MAR 200Hf grade and fabricated by DS investment casting. From the visual examination of the fractured surface, the turbine blade had initially cracked by a fatigue mechanism over a period of time and then fractured by the overload at the last moment. On further examination, the crack initiated at the trailing edge of the blade, and propagated by the fatigue under the cyclic loading experienced by the blade during service. The pores and segregated area of Hf and Ti at the trailing edge of the blade, caused by DS investment casting, is found by the microstructure and EDX analysis of the blade. The crack initiated at this area and was due to the stress concentration at the pores and segregation of Hf and Ti.     

Fracture analysis of compressor blade of a helicopter engine

This paper presents the failure analysis of the blade of a helicopter engine. From the visual examination of the fractured surface, it was possible to observe beach marks, typical of fatigue failure. The crack was initiated from the corrosion pit located on the attack edge of the blade. A non-linear finite element method was utilized to determine the stress state of the blade under rotation (operational conditions). In this analysis an undamaged blade was considered. Computations for the blade, working in the vibration conditions additionally were performed for analysis of phenomena occurring during the blade resonance. In this analysis first three mode of vibration were considered. Attention of this study is devoted to the mechanisms of damage of the compressor blade which works in the condition favorable for the pitting corrosion.     

Acoustic emission detection of fatigue cracks in wind turbine blades based on blind deconvolution separation

The occurrence and expansion of fatigue cracks in large wind turbine blades may lead to catastrophic blade failure. Each fatigue phase of a material has been associated with a typical set of acoustic emission (AE) signal frequency components, providing a logical base for establishing a clear connection between AE signals and the fatigue condition of a material. The relevance of efforts to relate recorded AE signals to a material's mechanical behaviour relies heavily on accurate AE signal processing. The main objective of the present study is to establish a direct correlation between the fatigue condition of a material and recorded AE signals. We introduce the blind deconvolution separation (BDS) approach because the result of AE monitoring is usually a convoluted mixture of signals from multiple sources. The method is implemented on data acquired from a fatigue test rig employing a wind turbine blade with an artificial transverse crack seeded in the surface at the base of the blade. Two different sets of fatigue loading were conducted. The convoluted signals are collected from the AE acquisition system, and the weak crack feature is extracted and analysed based on the BDS algorithm. The study reveals that the application of BDS‐based AE signal analysis is an appropriate approach for distinguishing and interpreting the different fatigue damage states of a wind turbine blade. The novel methodology proposed for fatigue crack identification will allow for improved predictive maintenance strategies for the glass‐epoxy blades of wind turbines. The experimental results clearly demonstrate that the AE signals generated by a fatigue crack on a wind turbine blade can be synchronously separated and identified. Characterizing and assessing fatigue conditions by AE monitoring based on BDS can prevent catastrophic failure and the development of secondary defects, as well as reduce unscheduled downtime and costs. The possibility of using AE monitoring to assess the fatigue condition of fibre composite blades is also considered.     

弹性螺旋桨-轴系建模及振动特性的解析方法研究

为考虑螺旋桨自身弹性对桨-轴系统振动特性的影响,建立了一套基于Timoshenko梁理论的解析方法。将螺旋桨、轴系均用Timoshenko梁建模,结合桨叶与轴系连接处的协调条件及其边界条件,给出系统横向、纵向自由振动的控制方程;在同有限元结果对比表明本方法具有良好精度基础上,分析了桨叶弹性对系统模态的影响及桨-轴系统的力传递特性。研究表明:桨-轴系统的模态振型中螺旋桨叶片和轴系的弹性变形同时发生且相互影响,叶片弯曲模态会加剧轴系振动;作用于桨叶的激励引起的桨-轴系统轴承处的纵向传递力被桨叶弯曲和轴系纵振两阶模态显著放大,而横向传递力主要由桨叶及轴系的弯曲模态控制。     

Fatigue crack growth simulation in a first stage of compressor blade

A first-stage rotary compressor blade of a Model GE-F6 gas turbine failed due to vibration in early March 2008. Initial investigations showed that pitting on the pressure side of the blade caused micro cracks, leading to larger cracks due to high cycle fatigue. To assess this failure, a series of experimental, numerical, and analytical analyses were conducted. Fractography of the fractured surface of the blade indicated that two semi-elliptical cracks incorporated and formed a single crack. In this study, static and dynamic stress analyses were performed in Abaqus software. Moreover, fracture mechanics criterion was accomplished to simulate fatigue crack growth. This was carried out using a fracture analysis code for 3-dimensional problems (Franc3D) in two states. Firstly, stress intensity factors (SIFs) for one semi-elliptical surface crack and then SIFs for two semi-elliptical surface cracks were taken into account. Finally, the Paris and Forman–Newman–De Koning models were used to predict fatigue life. Since stress level and crack shape in both conditions are the same and the SIF at the crack tip reaches the fracture toughness of the blade, SIFs results indicate that insertion of a second crack has no effect on the final SIF, however, the second crack facilitates the process of reaching the critical length. So, fatigue life in two-crack condition is less than in the one-crack state.     

汽轮机叶片动频的转子调频非接触测量法

叶片的共振断裂是叶片损伤的主要形式,为了避免叶片共振,如何准确地测得叶片的动频是保证叶片安全工作的关键。本文提出采用转子调频非接触测量法测量汽轮机叶片的动频。采用该方法只需要在叶片顶部固定支架上安装两只光学传感器及在转子的适当位置安装一只转子旋转同步传感器,就可以测量工作轮上所有叶片的动步,从而克服了传统接触应变片法仅能测量某几个叶片动频、应变片寿命短等缺点,同时也避免了安装多只传感器工艺复杂、费用较高等问题。本文通过实验验证了该方法的可行性。     

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.     

Failure analysis of Ti6Al4V gas turbine compressor blades

The failure mechanism of Ti6Al4V compressor blades of an industrial gas turbine was analysed by means of both experimental characterisations and numerical simulation techniques. Several premature failures were occurred in the high pressure section of the compressor due to the fracture of the blade roots. Metallurgical and mechanical properties of the blade alloy were evaluated. A 2D finite element model of the blade root was constructed and used to provide accurate estimates of stress field in the dovetail blade root and to determine the crack initiation in the dovetail.

The results showed no metallurgical and mechanical deviations for the blade materials from standards. SEM fractography showed different aspects of fretting fatigue including multiple crack initiation sites, fatigue beach marks, debris particles, and a high surface roughness in the edge of contact (EOC). The numerical model clearly showed the region of highest stress concentration at the front EOC of the blade root in the dovetail region, correlated closely with the experimentally characterised fatigue crack region. It was concluded that this failure has occurred due to the tight contact between the blade root and the disk in the dovetail region as well as low wear resistance of the blade root.     

钛铝低压涡轮叶片熔模铸造精确成形及冶金缺陷分析

目的 研究不同浇冒口设置对TiAl低压涡轮叶片的成形的影响及叶片冶金缺陷形成的原因。方法 采用熔模精铸方法,通过设计顶注式重力铸造浇注系统,采用冷坩埚感应熔炼炉进行TiAl叶片浇注实验,采用目视和X射线检验方法分析叶片铸件表面及内部缺陷,并结合金属凝固理论分析缺陷形成原因。结果 合理的浇口和排气孔设置有效避免了因熔体流动性差造成的叶片充型不完整,以及凝固收缩导致的应力开裂等问题,浇注出成形完整的铸造叶片;叶冠与叶身端部转角部位充型凝固过程中形成热节,容易出现贯穿性疏松缺陷;树脂基熔模焙烧后残留的碳黑在熔体充型凝固过程中,与面层中的ZrO2反应生产CO,导致叶身出现聚集性皮下气孔;由于凝固收缩引起叶身与铸型分离,降低横向散热能力,导致叶盆部位出现表面疏松。结论 通过浇注合理的浇注系统设置可实现TiAl叶片完整充型,疏松缺陷控制为进一步提高叶片质量的关键。     

Metallurgical failure analysis for a blade failed in a gas-turbine engine of a power plant

The failed gas-turbine blades (first stage blades) (type Siemens V94.2 KWU) were acquired from TNB Research Sdn. Bhd: a subsidiary of Malaysian power-generation industry (TNB, Malaysia). The blades were sectioned for metallographic investigations. The microstructural characterization involved use of both optical as well as electron microscopes including application of EPMA technique. The Microstructures were compared for three spots selection i.e. leading edge of the blade (transverse and longitudinal), trailing edge of the blade (transverse and longitudinal), and centre (near the platform of the blade) (transverse and longitudinal). The material properties and behavior at high temperature were interpreted on the basis of the observed microstructures and the phases present in the alloy. The interpretations were related to the operating conditions of the turbine blade; and main cause of failure was found to be creep damage. Recommendations have been made for improved material performance.     

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.     

圆锯片振动频率的控制方法

中心夹持高速旋转的圆锯片切削工件时,保持良好的切削稳定性是非常重要的.目前提高锯片切削稳定性的方法有研究新的锯片材料、改善材料性能、改变锯片的结构和几何参数、改变齿形和对锯片进行适张度处理等,对圆锯片采用胀孔适张度处理,在锯片上均布加工一些孔,然后在孔中压入圆锥塞,使之在锯片内产生残余应力场,残余应力场的存在提高了锯片的固有频率,减少锯片的横向振动,从而增加了锯片切削的稳定性.     

残余应力和粗糙度对叶片振动疲劳性能的影响

为了研究叶片表面完整性对其振动疲劳性能的影响,本文模拟分析了某型高温合金叶片在振动疲劳实验过程中的动力学应力响应,获得叶片共振时应力幅值随时间的变化规律,分析了残余应力和粗糙度对叶片振动疲劳寿命和疲劳极限的影响规律.结果表明:叶片共振过程中的应力响应幅值先增大后减小呈周期性变化,属于"拍"现象,满足关系σ=1 046sin(242.83t)sin(5 828t);叶片的振动疲劳极限和疲劳寿命均随残余应力和粗糙度的增大而减小,振动疲劳极限和残余应力之间的关系满足σfat=510.9-0.31-70.93σrest;而疲劳极限和粗糙度之间的关系则满足σfat=9.67R2roughness-70.93Rroughness+713.23.     

Cement kiln dust induced corrosion fatigue damage of gas turbine compressor blades – A failure analysis

Compressor of one of the gas turbines installed in a power plant was stopped under emergency conditions. Primary investigation showed that almost all of the first stage blades and some of the next stages were severely damaged. In this study, one of the first stage broken blades was failure analyzed. The results showed that the corrosion pits were formed on the compressor blade surface due to the presence of Cl and S elements in the compressor inlet air. Since the power plant located in the vicinity of a cement company and also an oil refining company, the inlet air of compressor had large amounts of Cl and S containing compounds. The corrosion pits acted as stress concentration sites, and facilitated fatigue crack initiation and propagation, leading to final fracture of the blades.     

用单片机实施旋转机械叶片振动监测的间断相位法研究

研究了测量旋转机械叶片振动的间断相位法，提出了测量叶片振动的相对偏移的计算机算法，并将其用８０９８单片机系统实现；本文还对间断相位法在旋转机械叶片振动在线监测中的应用进行了探讨，为实现整级叶片振动在线监测提供了一种可用的手段。