Date of Award

Spring 3-2006

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Degree Name

Master of Aerospace Engineering

Department

Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair

Magdy Attia

Committee Member

Vladimir V. Golubev

Committee Member

L.L. Narayanaswami

Abstract

A procedure for solving for and analyzing the aerodynamics, thermodynamics, and blade geometry across the first stage rotor blade under an extreme set of conditions, while altering several design parameters, has been developed and applied. The conditions for which the analyses have been developed were designed for the use of, but not exclusively limited to the application of, military aircraft at altitude. The approach consists of solving for specific key performance parameters across the first stage rotor and analyzing their trends due to the effect of varying other parameters, such as the axial velocity at the rotor's trailing edge, circumferential velocity at the rotor's trailing edge, and the blade hub-to-tip ratio, over a wide range. The preliminary rotor geometry and its complimentary fluid flow field parameters were then solved for and analyzed at each combination of the varied parameters across the given range in parametric sensitivity study fashion. Due to the selected range of the varied input parameters, the optimal design of the rotor geometry can then be carefully selected based upon the calculated fluid flow field parameters, solved for at each design point. The most promising design was then chosen based upon a predetermined set of design and off-design performance criteria, and the design was verified using a well-established streamline curvature (through-flow) code, UD-0300M. The results of both methods have been compared and their differences highlighted.

Download

Share

COinS