Structures and Dynamics Committee Best Paper of 1996 Award: Inlet Distortion Generated Forced Response of a Low-Aspect-Ratio Transonic Fan

Abstract

This paper describes a portion of an experimental and computational program (ADLARF), which incorporates, for the first time, measurements of all aspects of the forced response of an airfoil row, i.e., the flow defect, the unsteady pressure loadings, and the vibratory response. The purpose of this portion was to extend the knowledge of the unsteady aerodynamics associated with a low-aspect-ratio transonic fan where the flow defects were generated by inlet distortions. Measurements of screen distortion patterns were obtained with total pressure rakes and casing static pressures. The unsteady pressure loadings on the blade were determined from high response pressure transducers. The resulting blade vibrations were measured with strain gages. The steady flow was analyzed using a three-dimensional Navier–Stokes solver while the unsteady flow was determined with a quasi-three-dimensional linearized Euler solver. Experimental results showed that the distortions had strong vortical, moderate entropic, and weak acoustic parts. The three-dimensional Navier–Stokes analyses showed that the steady flow is predominantly two-dimensional, with radially outward flow existing only in the blade surface boundary layers downstream of shocks and in the aft part of the suction surface. At near resonance conditions, the strain gage data showed blade-to-blade motion variations and thus, linearized unsteady Euler solutions showed poorer agreement with the unsteady loading data than comparisons at off-resonance speeds. Data analysis showed that entropic waves generated unsteady loadings comparable to vortical waves in the blade regions where shocks existed.