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 investigation of a low-pressure turbine blade

Several blades at a thermal power plant had failed during operation. Extensive visual, metallographic, and microhardness tests indicated that the initiation of the failure had been due to cracks formed due to fretting, which subsequently propagated in fatigue.     

Experimental crack propagation and failure analysis of the first stage compressor blade subjected to vibration

This paper presents results of experimental vibration tests of the helicopter turbo-engine compressor blades. The blades used in investigation were retired from maintenance under technical inspection of engine. Investigations were conducted for selected undamaged blades, without existence of preliminary cracks or corrosion pits. The blades during experiment were entered into transverse vibration. The crack propagation process was conducted in resonance condition. During the fatigue test, the growth of crack was monitored. In the second part of work, a nonlinear finite element method was utilized to determine the stress state of the blade during vibration. In this analysis a first mode of transverse vibration were considered. High maximum principal stress zone was found at the region of blade where the crack occurred.     

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.     

Investigation of the failure of the L-0 blades

A last stage (L-0) turbine blades failure was experienced at the 110 MW geothermal unit after 1 year of operation period. This unit has two tandem-compound intermediate/low-pressure turbines (turbine A and turbine B) with 23 in./3600 rpm last-stage blades. There were flexible blades continuously coupled 360 degrees around the row by loose cover segment at the tip and loose sleeve and lug at the mid-span (pre-twist design). The failed blades were in the L-0 row of the LP turbine B connected to the generator. The visual examination indicated that the group of 12 L-0 blades of rotor B on the generator side was bent and another group of 5 blades at 140 degrees from the first damaged group was also bent. The cover segments were spread out from the damaged blades and had cracks. Laboratory evaluation of the cracking in the cover segments indicates the failure mechanism to be high cycle fatigue (HCF), initiating at the cover segment holes outer fillet radius. The L-0 blades failure investigation was carried out. The investigation included a metallographic analysis of the cracked cover segments and bent blades, Finite Element Method (FEM) stress and natural frequency analysis (of blades/cover segments), fracture mechanics and crack propagation analysis. This paper provides an overview of the L-0 blades failure investigation, which led to the identification of the blades vibrations within the range 250–588 Hz induced due to unstable flow excitation (stall flutter) as the primary contribution to the observed failure.     

风电叶片玻璃纤维层合板的力学性能试验研究

针对风电叶片玻璃纤维层合板的力学性能进行试验研究,确定其主要力学性能参数,分析各种铺层、测试方向及配方因素对玻璃纤维层合板力学性能的影响。依据BS EN ISO测试标准,应用微机控制万能试验机、应变仪对风电叶片玻璃纤维层合板进行拉伸、压缩及剪切破坏试验,得到试件的拉伸、压缩、剪切强度及弹性模量、泊松比等力学性能,并对四...     

Study and innovation of a flexible blade turbine, a new type of tidal current generating device

Utilization of tidal current is becoming a focus of marine energy research and development field. In this paper, a new type of tidal current power generating device which called flexible blade turbine was put forward. A scale model testing was carried out, and results show that the models performed as expected with good hydrodynamic characteristics. Based on analysis of the results, a scale model turbine with a rated power of 5kW was constructed, which was an optimal scheme of the flexible blade turbine having higher coefficient of power and power generation capacity. Sea trials were carried out in the Zhaitang Island channel to evaluate the performance of the turbine. Results show that the turbine performed well, generating the power predicted. Key words: tidal current; flexible blade turbine; coefficient of power; sea trials     

基于非线性本构关系的复合材料风机叶片有限元极限分析与设计

为了研究具有三维复杂构形的复合材料风机叶片的逐次破坏过程和极限承载能力, 将复合材料细观力学非线性本构理论桥联模型与有限元软件ABAQUS通过用户子程序UGENS结合起来对风力发电机叶片结构进行极限强度分析。只需提供纤维和基体的材料性能参数、 纤维体积含量以及蒙皮和增强筋的铺层数据包括铺设角、 层厚和铺层数, 就可预报出复合材料复杂叶片结构的整体承载能力以及叶片破坏所处的位置, 为正确评估和合理设计风机叶片结构提供了一种简便有效的分析方法。以一种20kW风机叶片为例, 用此方法实现了新型复合材料叶片结构的极限分析和合理设计, 提高了叶片的强度和刚度, 有效降低了叶片的重量。本文中的方法同样适用于其它复合材料复杂结构的极限分析与强度设计。      

一种含Re叶片钢的热处理工艺和组织性能研究

为了掌握含Re的高温叶片用钢11Cr10Co2W2MoReVNbNB的最佳热处理工艺和组织性能,对钢进行了热处理工艺试验和组织性能分析。采用Gleeble3800型热/力模拟试验机测定了钢的相变点,采用INSTRON-5582型电子拉力试验机、HVS-1000型维氏硬度计测定了钢的力学性能,采用Olympus-PMG3型光学显微镜、SUPRA55型扫描电镜、FEI Tecnai G2 F30型透射电镜分析了钢的组织性能。实验结果表明:钢在1 100~1 140℃内淬火、在660~700℃内回火时,淬火温度和回火温度对材料性能基本没有影响;与其他高温用12%Cr钢相比,11Cr10Co2W2MoReVNbNB钢具有良好的韧性,室温V型冲击性能高达40 J以上;钢的组织为回火索氏体,组织均匀、晶粒细小。钢的最佳热处理工艺为(1 120±10)℃油冷+(690±10)℃空冷,钢的主要强化相为M23C6,Re主要存在于基体中,起固溶强化作用。     

Structural optimization procedure of a composite wind turbine blade for reducing both material cost and blade weight

A composite blade structure for a 2 MW horizontal axis wind turbine is optimally designed. Design requirements are simultaneously minimizing material cost and blade weight while satisfying the constraints on stress ratio, tip deflection, fatigue life and laminate layup requirements. The stress ratio and tip deflection under extreme gust loads and the fatigue life under a stochastic normal wind load are evaluated. A blade element wind load model is proposed to explain the wind pressure difference due to blade height change during rotor rotation. For fatigue life evaluation, the stress result of an implicit nonlinear dynamic analysis under a time-varying fluctuating wind is converted to the histograms of mean and amplitude of maximum stress ratio using the rainflow counting algorithm Miner's rule is employed to predict the fatigue life. After integrating and automating the whole analysis procedure an evolutionary algorithm is used to solve the discrete optimization problem.     

Recent trends in repair and refurbishing of steam turbine components

The repair and refurbishing of steam generator components is discussed from the perspective of repair welding philosophy including applicable codes and regulations. Some case histories of repair welding of steam generator components are discussed with special emphasis on details of repair welding of cracked steam turbine blades and shrouds in some of the commercial nuclear power plants using procedures developed.     

An investigation of mechanical and metallurgical properties of explosive welded aluminum-dual phase steel

The aim of this paper is investigation of microstructure and property relationship in aluminum-HSLA steel and aluminum-dual phase steel bimetals fabricated by explosive welding technique. Dual phase steel was produced by intercritical annealing and water quenching from 1.45Mn-0.2Si-0.186C HSLA steel. Hardness, tensile shear strength, tensile strength, toughness and microstructure of explosively welded aluminum-HSLA steel and aluminum-dual phase steel were evaluated. Both bimetals have a straight bonding interface. It was also seen that plastic deformation of dual phase steel was higher than HSLA steel near interfaces of bimetals. The hardness was increased near the bond interface of bimetals. Tensile and tensile shear strength tests showed that aluminum-dual phase steel is superior than aluminum-HSLA steel. Also, impact toughness of aluminum-dual phase steel was found significantly higher than that of aluminum-HSLA steel.     

Risk evaluation in failure mode and effects analysis of aircraft turbine rotor blades using Dempster–Shafer evidence theory under uncertainty

Rotor blades are the major components of an aircraft turbine. Their reliability seriously affects the overall aircraft turbine security. Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), especially, the risk priority order of failure modes, is essential in the design process. The risk priority number (RPN) has been extensively used to determine the risk priority order of failure modes. When multiple experts give different risk evaluations to one failure mode, which may be imprecise and uncertain, the traditional RPN is not a sufficient tool for risk evaluation. In this paper, the modified Dempster–Shafer (D–S) is adopted to aggregate the different evaluation information by considering multiple experts’ evaluation opinions, failure modes and three risk factors respectively. A simplified discernment frame is proposed according to the practical application. Moreover, the mean value of the new RPN is used to determine the risk priority order of multiple failure modes. Finally, this method is used to deal with the risk priority evaluation of the failure modes of rotor blades of an aircraft turbine under multiple sources of different and uncertain evaluation information. The consequence of this method is rational and efficient.     

Experimental and numerical evaluation of the mechanical behaviour of GFRP sandwich panels

This work deals with the analysis of the mechanical behaviour of a class of sandwich structures widely employed in marine constructions, constituted by fiber-glass laminate skins over PVC foam or polyester mat cores. In detail, a systematic experimental study and numerical simulations have shown that the theoretical prediction of the strength and the actual failure mechanism of these sandwich structures can be affected by significant errors, specially in the presence of prevalent shear loading. Moreover, because of the low shear stiffness and the elastic constants mismatch of the skins and core material, failure modes and strength are strongly influenced by eventual stresses orthogonal to the middle plane of the sandwich. In particular, for the sandwich structures with a PVC foam core, such a stress interaction leads to early skin–core delamination failure, whereas for those with a polyester core it leads to core shear-cohesive failure. By means of accurate non-linear simulations, accurate failure criteria, that can be used at the design stage in the presence of complex loading, have also been developed.     

Influence of axial clearance on solid particle erosion and efficiency of governing stage in ultra-supercritical steam turbine based on rebound effect

Based on the steam-solid two-phase flow model combined with rebound effect, the influence of axial clearance on the solid particle erosion (SPE) characteristics and efficiency in ultra-supercritical steam turbine governing stage was analyzed. The results show that the erosion damage degree caused by rebound is less than that caused by the particle first impact. With the increase of axial clearance, the number of particles rebounding back to the trailing edge of the suction surface(SS) in nozzle decreases. When the axial clearance increases, the large size particle impact velocity and impact angle move towards the leading edge of rotor blade, and the erosion area extends to the middle and front of the pressure surface (PS), resulting in the increase of erosion area. However, the particle impact angle deviates from the serious erosion angle, and the erosion degree decreases. The axial clearance has different influence trends on SPE and stage efficiency. With the increase of axial clearance, the erosion rate density decreases continuously, about 59.2%, but the stage efficiency increases first and then decreases. So the influence of SPE and stage efficiency should be comprehensively considered for the selection of axial clearance.     

一种基于瞬时能量分布特征的汽轮发电机组转子故障诊断新方法

提出了一种新颖的基于希尔伯特-黄变换（Hilbert-Huang transformation,HHT）的瞬时能量分布特征抽取方法,用于识别汽轮发电机组转子系统的不同运行状态（如正常及油膜涡动故障等）。理论上分析了瞬时能量与系统结构状态变化的物理联系,借助HHT方法,获取非平稳振动信号的瞬时能量分布特征,并根据瞬时能量相对贡献的量化方法消除噪声等干扰因素,采用相关系数法对瞬时能量分布特征的典型性进行论证分析,给出了基于瞬时能量分布特征的汽轮发电机组转子系统故障诊断的新方法。实验结果证明了该方法的有效性。     

Structural reliability analysis and uncertainties‐based collaborative design and optimization of turbine blades using surrogate model

In power and energy systems, both the aerodynamic performance and the structure reliability of turbine equipment are affected by utilized blades. In general, the design process of blade is high dimensional and nonlinear. Different coupled disciplines are also involved during this process. Moreover, unavoidable uncertainties are transported and accumulated between these coupled disciplines, which may cause turbine equipment to be unsafe. In this study, a saddlepoint approximation reliability analysis method is introduced and combined with collaborative optimization method to address the above challenge. During the above reliability analysis and design optimization process, surrogate models are utilized to alleviate the computational burden for uncertainties‐based multidisciplinary design and optimization problems. Smooth response surfaces of the performance of turbine blades are constructed instead of expensively time‐consuming simulations. A turbine blade design problem is solved here to validate the effectiveness and show the utilization of the given approach.     

Damages of wind turbine blade trailing edge: Forms,location, and root causes

The geometrical form and the manufacturing technique make the trailing edge of the wind turbine blade more susceptible to damage. In this study the trailing edge in a number of 81 blades of 100 kW wind turbines and 18 blades of 300 kW wind turbines of working life ranging between 6.5 × 10⁷ and 1.1 × 10⁸ cycles were completely visually scanned. The different damages were classified and allocated in their exact position relative to the blade length. Cracks in different orientations with the blade length were the frequent types of damages which found on the trailing edge. First, longitudinal cracks (LCs) that found along the blade trailing edge from the blade root to the tip were in lengths that varied from a few centimeters up to around 1.35 m. Second, transverse cracks (TCs) were found in either simple TCs which growing on one shell at the trailing edge or round TCs which growing across the two shells. TCs lengths were ranging from 20 to 50 mm. Third, edge damages were detected in the form of edge cuts or crushing. The possible root causes of the different types of cracks have been discussed.     

Three-dimensional imaging and quantitative analysis of dispersion and mechanical failure in filled nanocomposites

Characterizing filled nanocomposites is an active area of research in order to predictively modify their properties. The dispersion of nanofillers has a direct influence on these properties, and therefore the precise characterization of dispersion is essential in establishing a complete understanding of composite behavior. In this study, we have developed a methodology for using laser scanning confocal microscopy to quantitatively assess the three-dimensional dispersion of carbon nanotube bundles within a composite material in situ. Furthermore, we applied this methodology to directly visualize in real-time the subsurface mechanical failure of a carbon nanotube-filled composite.     

Quasi-static and dynamic mechanical responses of hybrid laminated composites based on high-density flexible polyurethane foam

Hybrid laminated composites were fabricated based on high-density flexible polyurethane foam and reinforced with inter/intra-ply hybrid laminates. Transient responses of hybrid composites under quasi-static and dynamic loadings with various thicknesses and expansion factors were comparatively investigated. Experimental results revealed that foam cell collapse and hybrid laminates rupture were dominant mechanisms of energy absorption. Interlaminar stress and composite tensile strength determined the compressive potential energy and double-peak behavior. Quasi-static bursting and puncture resistances exhibited totally different relationships to various constructions and expansion factors. Energy dissipation capacity is influenced more significantly by the constant rate of transverse (CRT) puncture than dynamic puncture process. CRT puncture resistance is superior to the corresponding dynamic puncture resistance for all constructions. The hybrid laminated composites contributes to eliminate more than 95% of the incident force in the drop weight impact test. Compared with non-laminated panel, the hybrid laminated composites exhibited higher resistance to static and dynamic loadings.