Redesign of a High-Pressure Compressor Blade Accounting for Nonlinear Structural Interactions

Recent numerical developments dedicated to the simulation of rotor/stator interaction involving direct structural contacts have been integrated within the Snecma industrial environment. This paper presents the first attempt to benefit from these developments and account for structural blade/casing contacts at the design stage of a high-pressure compressor blade. The blade of interest underwent structural divergence after blade/abradable coating contact occurrences on a rig test. The design improvements were carried out in several steps with significant modifications of the blade stacking law while maintaining aerodynamic performance of the original blade design. After a brief presentation of the proposed design strategy, basic concepts associated with the design variations are recalled. The iterated profiles are then numerically investigated and compared with respect to key structural criteria such as: (1) their mass, (2) the residual stresses stemming from centrifugal stiffening, (3) the vibratory level under aerodynamic forced response, and (4) the vibratory levels when unilateral contact occurs. Significant improvements of the final blade design are found: the need for an early integration of nonlinear structural interactions criteria in the design stage of modern aircraft engines components is highlighted.