A method is presented for automating compressor blade design using numerical optimization, and is applied to the design of a controlled diffusion stator blade row. A general purpose optimization procedure is employed, which is based on conjugate directions for locally unconstrained problems and on feasible directions for locally constrained problems. Coupled to the optimizer is an analysis package consisting of three analysis programs which calculate blade geometry, inviscid flow, and blade surface boundary layers. The optimization concepts are briefly discussed. Selection of design objective and constraints is described. The procedure for automating the design of a two-dimensional blade section is discussed, and design results are presented.
A new reprojection of the conjugate directions
