This paper traces the origins of the GE Design System and how it has evolved from early methods to underlie and supplement present CFD methods, which are not themselves discussed herein. The two main elements of the detailed aero design process are vector diagram establishment and airfoil design. Their evolution is examined, and examples of how they were used to design some early GE compressors of interest are given. By the late 1950s, some transonic airfoil shapes were being custom tailored using internal blade station data from more complete radial equilibrium solutions. In the 1960s, rules for shaping transonic passages were established, and by the 1970s, custom tailoring was done for subsonic blading as well. The preliminary design layout process for a new compressor is described. It involves selecting an annulus shape and blading overall proportions that will allow a successful detailed design to follow. This requires establishment of stage loading limits that permit stall-free operation, and an efficiency potential prediction method for state-of-the-art blading. As design methods evolved, the newer approaches were calibrated with data-match experience, a process that is expected to always be needed.
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July 2002
Technical Papers
Axial Compressor Aerodesign Evolution at General Electric
Leroy H. Smith,, Jr., Fellow ASME, Consultant,
Leroy H. Smith,, Jr., Fellow ASME, Consultant,
GE Aircraft Engines, Cincinnati, OH 45215
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Leroy H. Smith,, Jr., Fellow ASME, Consultant,
GE Aircraft Engines, Cincinnati, OH 45215
Contributed by the International Gas Turbine Institute for publication in the JOURNAL OF TURBOMACHINERY. Manuscript received by the IGTI, November 14, 2001. revised manuscript received April 2, 2002. Associate Editor: C. Koch.
J. Turbomach. Jul 2002, 124(3): 321-330 (10 pages)
Published Online: July 10, 2002
Article history
Received:
November 14, 2001
Revised:
April 2, 2002
Online:
July 10, 2002
Citation
Smith, , L. H., Jr. (July 10, 2002). "Axial Compressor Aerodesign Evolution at General Electric ." ASME. J. Turbomach. July 2002; 124(3): 321–330. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1486219
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