Detailed measurements of the flow field in the tip region of an axial flow compressor rotor were carried out using a rotating five-hole probe. The axial, tangential, and radial components of relative velocity, as well as the static and stagnation pressures, were obtained at two axial locations, one at the rotor trailing edge, the other downstream of the rotor. The measurements were taken up to about 26 percent of the blade span from the blade tip. The data are interpreted to understand the complex nature of the flow in the tip region, which involves the interaction of the tip leakage flow, the annulus wall boundary layer and the blade wake. The experimental data show that the leakage jet does not roll up into a vortex. The leakage jet exiting from the tip gap is of high velocity and mixes quickly with the mainstream, producing intense shearing and flow separation. There are substantial differences in the structure of tip clearance observed in cascades and rotors.
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July 1995
Research Papers
The Structure of Tip Clearance Flow in Axial Flow Compressors
B. Lakshminarayana,
B. Lakshminarayana
The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University Park, PA 16802
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M. Zaccaria,
M. Zaccaria
The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University Park, PA 16802
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B. Marathe
B. Marathe
The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University Park, PA 16802
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B. Lakshminarayana
The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University Park, PA 16802
M. Zaccaria
The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University Park, PA 16802
B. Marathe
The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University Park, PA 16802
J. Turbomach. Jul 1995, 117(3): 336-347 (12 pages)
Published Online: July 1, 1995
Article history
Received:
October 1, 1993
Online:
January 29, 2008
Citation
Lakshminarayana, B., Zaccaria, M., and Marathe, B. (July 1, 1995). "The Structure of Tip Clearance Flow in Axial Flow Compressors." ASME. J. Turbomach. July 1995; 117(3): 336–347. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2835667
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