Carlo Rotundo

Background

I am currently pursuing a PhD within the Turbomachinery and Propulsion group in the Heat and Power Technology division at KTH. My research focuses on the aerodynamic and aeromechanical evaluation of axial compressors, with a particular emphasis on detecting and characterizing damage, wear, and associated repair actions in modern aircraft engines. In addition to my primary research interests in turbomachinery, I have been involved in projects related to propeller aeroelasticity and aerodynamics, loads and aeroelasticity for the certification of novel aircraft configurations, and program/project management. I am passionate about the development and integration of aircraft and propulsion systems for general and commercial aviation, and I enjoy sharing this passion with others.

Before joining KTH as a PhD researcher, I completed my Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Mathematics and Engineering at Queen's University, focusing on Applied Mechanics. I then earned my Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Delft University of Technology, specializing in Flight Performance and Propulsion. During my time at Queen's, I was actively involved in the Queen's Racing Formula SAE team, serving as the chassis and ergonomics team lead for two seasons and the director of engineering for one season. At TU Delft, I completed my thesis on the development and application of an aeroelastic tailoring routine to enhance propeller performance. Further information on this research can be found here. After completing my MSc at TU Delft, I worked as a loads and aeroelasticity engineer at Lilium, where I developed the manoeuvre loads envelope of the aircraft in addition to a compressor blade flutter prediction routine, as required for first-flight clearance.

Research

At KTH, I am working within the DARLING project (Damaged and Repaired Blade Modelling with In-situ Experiments). The primary stakeholders and interested parties for this research include KTH (host institution), the University of Stuttgart (supplier of test rig equipment), and GKN Aerospace (industrial partner). The main goal of this project is to understand the impact of blade damage and wear on the aeroelastic and aerodynamic performance of compressors, as well as to develop an advanced model that is capable of characterizing blade damage through online assessments. To achieve this goal, several experimental campaigns and numerical studies will be conducted. Experimental results will be obtained using the ACTIVE compressor test rig at the ITSM lab in Stuttgart, while numerical results will be collected through simulations with a reduced-order compressor model that includes the effects of mistuning and blade damage when assessing aeroelastic and aerodynamic performance. GKN will also be involved in establishing methodologies for the virtual representation of damaged rotor blades and developing AI models for characterizing blade damage and degradation.