Turbine forced response prediction using an integrated non-linear analysis
The forced response due to flow defects caused by the upstream blade rows is predicted for two turbines: intermediate pressure (IP) and low pressure (LP). The prediction method is based on an advanced numerical tool where the compressible viscous flow field is modelled by solving Favre-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the Baldwin and Barth turbulence model. The flow solution is coupled to a modal model of the structure and information is exchanged every time step between the fluid and the structural domains. The hybrid unstructured mesh is moved at each time step to follow the structural motion using a spring analogy. For the IP turbine, the method was used to rank two different designs of nozzle guide vanes. For the LP turbine, special emphasis was placed on predicting vibration amplitudes due to high and low engine order excitations. Predictions and measurements were found to be in good agreement for both turbines. Due to insufficient experimental data, it was difficult to assess the accuracy of the low engine order computations, although it was shown that the model was capable of undertaking such a task.