Leading Edge Erosion Influence on the Aeroelastic Response in a Transonic Compressor Cascade
A Numerical and Experimental Approach
Time: Thu 2025-06-05 10.00
Location: E3, Osquars backe 18, Stockholm
Video link: https://kth-se.zoom.us/s/68521587948
Language: English
Subject area: Energy Technology
Doctoral student: Carlos Alberto Tavera Guerrero , Kraft- och värmeteknologi
Opponent: Prof. Dr.-lng. Dieter Peitsch, TU Berlin, Germany
Supervisor: Docent Jens Fridh, Kraft- och värmeteknologi; Doctor Mauricio Gutierrez, Kraft- och värmeteknologi
Abstract
Current trends to enhance the aeroengines efficiency rely on more challenging working conditions with lighter, slender, and high-loaded blades. Thishigh power-to-weight ratio can make the blades from the front stages moreprone to face aeromechanic instabilities such as flutter. While key factorsthat affect flutter onset are well established in the literature, the effect ofleading edge erosion mechanisms is vastly sparse or not reported.An oscillating transonic linear cascade has been conceptualized and developed for validation at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. In this testrig, an assessment of the effect of the leading edge erosion mechanism onthe aeroelastic response is performed. The analyzed operating points arerepresentative of a transonic axial compressor at part speed where a shockinduced separation mechanism is present. The aeroelastic measurementsare performed at the first natural bending mode. The presented thesis comprises three key aspects: the aeroelastic response of a smooth reference case,the identification of limitations in roughness wall modeling, and the aeroelastic response under leading edge erosion mechanisms. For the latter, theblades have been subjected to an increase in roughness at the leading edgefor the rough case, and the leading edge has been eroded and roughened forthe eroded case.The results indicate that for the smooth case, the numerical modelstend to overpredict the aeroelastic response downstream from the shockinduced separation compared to the experimental data. Surface roughnesswall modeling showed limitations when separated regions exist at fully roughwall regimes. When erosion mechanisms are introduced, the numerical results predict an opposite trend compared to the experimental observations.The experimental data from the eroded case showed a local increase in theunsteady pressure amplitude while the phase remained unchanged.