Detection of Cracks in Aerospace Turbine Disks Using an Ultrasonic Phased Array C-scan Device

Crack detection in an aerospace turbine disk is essential for aircraft-quality detection.With the unique circular stepped structure and superalloy material properties of aerospace turbine disk,it is difficult for the traditional ultrasonic testing method to perform efficient and accurate testing.In this study,ultrasound phased array detection technology was applied to the non-destructive testing of aviation turbine disks:(i)A phased array ultrasonic c-scan device for detecting aerospace turbine disk cracks(PAUDA)was developed which consists of phased array ultrasonic,transducers,a computer,a displacement encoder,and a rotating scanner;(ii)The influence of the detection parameters include frequency,wave-type,and elements number of the ultrasonic phased array probe on the detection results on the near-surface and the far surface of the aerospace turbine disk is analyzed;(iii)Specimens with flat-bottom-hole(FBH)defects were scanned by the developed PAUDA and the results were analyzed and compared with the conventional single probe ultrasonic water immersion testing.The experiment shows that by using the ultrasonic phased array c-scan to scan the turbine disk the accuracy of the detection can be significantly improved which is of greater accuracy and higher efficiency than traditional immersion testing.

RELIABILITY ANALYSIS FOR AN AERO ENGINE TURBINE DISK UNDER LOW CYCLE FATIGUE CONDITION

Reliability analysis methods based on the linear damage accumulation law (LDAL) and load-life interference model are studied in this paper. According to the equal probability rule, the equivalent loads are derived, and the reliability analysis method based on load-life interference model and recurrence formula is constructed. In conjunction with finite element analysis (FEA) program, the reliability of an aero engine turbine disk under low cycle fatigue (LCF) condition has been analyzed. The results show the turbine disk is safety and the above reliability analysis methods are feasible.

RANDOM-FUZZY SAFETY ANALYSIS FOR AN AERO ENGINE TURBINE DISK

A numerical simulation method is presented for the random-fuzzy safety analysis of an aero engine disk. Based on the equivalent transformation from a fuzzy variable to a random variable, the equivalent random Probability Density Functions(PDFs) are got from their corresponding Fuzzy Possibility Distributions(FPDs) for the fuzzy variables. In that case the perfect numerical simulation method for the random uncertainty is employed to solve the fuzzy uncertainty. For the complex structure such as the aero engine disk with implicit relationship between the input basic variable and the response variable, the equivalent PDFs of the input basic variables are delivered simultaneously to the response variable by an empirical PDF, which is simulated by Finite Element Method(FEM). Then, in view of the fuzzy application requirement occurring in engineering usually, the reliability definition and calculation are discussed for the aero engine disk with multiple fuzzy failure modes. On the other hand, through the inverse transformation of the fuzzy variable to the random variable, the FPDs of the response variables can be calculated from their empirical PDFs as well.

Transient reliability optimization for turbine disk radial deformation

The radial deformation design of turbine disk seriously influences the control of gas turbine high pressure turbine(HPT) blade-tip radial running clearance(BTRRC). To improve the design of BTRRC under continuous operation, the nonlinear dynamic reliability optimization of disk radial deformation was implemented based on extremum response surface method(ERSM), including ERSM-based quadratic function(QF-ERSM) and ERSM-based support vector machine of regression(SR-ERSM). The mathematical models of the two methods were established and the framework of reliability-based dynamic design optimization was developed. The numerical experiments demonstrate that the proposed optimization methods have the promising potential in reducing additional design samples and improving computational efficiency with acceptable precision, in which the SR-ERSM emerges more obviously. Through the case study, we find that disk radial deformation is reduced by about 6.5×10–5 m; δ=1.31×10–3 m is optimal for turbine disk radial deformation design and the proposed methods are verified again. The presented efforts provide an effective optimization method for the nonlinear transient design of motion structures for further research, and enrich mechanical reliability design theory.

Research on GH4169G alloy for aerospace turbine disk

Using metallographic observation and mechanical measurement,the microstructure and mechanical properties of GH4169G alloy has been investigated.The effect of the phosphorus,boron trace elements on mechanical properties of the GH4169G alloy are compared and analyzed.The results showed that the hot-workability of the GH4169G alloy is very good.The stress ruptures properties of GH4169G alloy is over 3 times than the traditional GH4169 alloy.

Research on reliability of turbine disk with random structure

Structure of a rotor and other design parameters are all viewed as constant using finite element software to analyze reliability of the rotor. In this case,reliability analysis of the rotor can't be realized for design parameters as random. Based on theory of elastic mechanics,starting with the micro element of the rotor,stress formulas on arbitrary point of turbine disc with equal and variable thickness are deducted under the influence of centrifugal force and temperature field on rotor system simultaneously. Considering the random of structural size of the turbine rotor,temperature stress,rotating speed,external loads and material strength,the reliability of a rotor is studied with stress-strength interference model,integral stochastic finite element method(ISFEM) and Gram-Charlier series method,and random structural reliability of the rotor is computed with higher accuracy.

THE EVOLUTION OF TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AT GE CORPORATE R & D

A brief review of the nearly 100 year history of Corporate Researeh and Development at GE is presented. Observations on the changing nature and relevance of industrial research are discussed. Examples of current technology projects for aircraft engine materials are reviewed. Emphasis of these projects is placed on high performance,low cost and high quality.

The research and development of new type of ferro-base heat-resistant alloy

Nickel-base superalloys are high performance materials subject to severe operating conditions in the high temperature turbine section of gas turbine engines.Turbine blades in modern engines are fabricated from Ni-base alloy single crystals which are strengthened by ordered g' precipitates.Turbine disks are made from polycrystal line Ni-base alloys because these components have higher strength requirements(due to higher stresses).By increasing the upper temperature limit for the next generation of disk materials,the aviation industry will see significant environmental as well as cost benefits. Researchers in the High Temperature Materials Center of the National Institute of Materials Science of Japan have recently completed their work on a new kind of disk alloys.The new disk alloys,a kind of nickel-coble-base superalloys processed by a normal cast and wrought(C & W) route,can withstand temperatures in excess of 725 degree centigrade,a 50-degree increase over C&W disks currently in operation. In this presentation,the author shows the design idea,workability and properties of these Ni-Co-base superalloys. Furthermore,the evaluation of the processing and microstructure on a full-scale processing of Ni-Co-base superalloy turbine disk are described,which demonstrated the advantages and possibility of the Ni-Co-base disc alloys at the component level.

Comprehensive evaluations of heat transfer performance with conjugate heat dissipation effect in high-speed rotating free-disk modeling of aero-engines

Thermal boundary conditions of the turbine disk cavity system are of great importance in the design of secondary air systems in aero-engines.This study aims to investigate the complex heat transfer mechanisms of a rotating turbine disk under high-speed conditions.A high-speed rotating free-disk model with Dorfman empirical solutions is developed to evaluate the heat transfer performance considering various factors.Specifically,the influence of compressibility,variable properties,and heat dissipation is determined using theoretical and numerical analyses.In particular,a novel combined solution method is proposed to simplify the complex heat transfer problem.The results indicate that the heat transfer performance of a free disk is primarily influenced by the rotating Mach number,rotating Reynolds number,Rossby number,and wall temperature ratio.The heat transfer temperature and Nusselt number of the free disk are strongly correlated with the rotating Mach number and rotating Reynolds number.Analysis reveals that heat dissipation is a critical factor affecting the accurate evaluation of the heat transfer performance of the turbine disk.Thus,the combined solution method can serve as a reference for future investigations of flow and heat transfer in high-speed rotating turbine disk cavity systems in aero-engines.

A review of cooling technologies for high temperature rotating components in gas turbine

Modern gas turbines work under demanding high temperatures, high pressures, andhigh rotational speeds. In order to ensure durable and reliable operation, effective cooling mea-sures must be applied to the high-temperature rotating components, including turbine bladesand turbine disks. Cooling technology, however, is one of the most challenging problems inthis field. The present work reviews the current state of cooling technology research, at boththe fundamental science and engineering implementation levels, including modeling and simu-lation, experiments and diagnostics, and cooling technologies for blades and disks. In numericalsimulation, the RANS approach remains the most commonly used technique for flow-dynamicsand heat-transfer simulations. Much attention has been given to the development of improvedturbulence modeling for flows under rotation. For measurement and diagnostics, advancedinstrumentation and rotating-flow test facilities have been developed and valuable experimentaldata obtained. Detailed velocity and temperature distributions in rotating boundary layers havebeen obtained at scales sufficient to resolve various underlying mechanisms. Both isothermaland non-isothermal conditions have been considered, and the effects of Coriolis and buoyancyforces on flow evolution and heat transfer quantitatively identified. Cooling technologies havebeen improved by optimizing cooling passage dsigns, especially for curved configurations un-der rotation. Novel methods such as lamellar cooling and micro-scale cooling were proposed,and their effectiveness evaluated. For disk/cavity cooling, efforts were mainly focused on rotor-stator systems, with special attention given to the position of air injection into disks.

Structural optimization of uniaxial symmetry non-circular bolt clearance hole on turbine disk

This study proposes a parameterized model of a uniaxial symmetry non-circular hole, to improve conventional circular bolt clearance holes on turbine disks. The profile of the model consists of eight smoothly connected arcs, the radiuses of which are determined by 5 design variables.By changing the design variables, the profile of the non-circular hole can be transformed to accommodate different load ratios, thereby improving the stress concentration of the area near the hole and that of the turbine disk. The uniaxial symmetry non-circular hole is optimized based on finite element method（FEM）, in which the maximum first principal stress is taken as the objective function. After optimization, the stress concentration is evidently relieved; the maximum first principal stress and the maximum von Mises stress on the critical area are reduced by 30.39% and 25.34%respectively, showing that the uniaxial symmetry non-circular hole is capable of reducing the stress level of bolt clearance holes on the turbine disk.