Gaussian Stochastic Process Modeling of Blend Repaired Airfoil Modal Response Using Reduced Basis Mode Shape Approach

Abstract

A machine learning (ML) approach is developed to predict the effect of blend repairs on airfoil frequency, modal assurance criterion (MAC), and modal displacement vectors. The method is demonstrated on a transonic research rig compressor rotor airfoil. A parametric definition of blend geometry is developed and shown to be capable of encompassing a large range of blend geometry. This blend repair geometry is used to modify the airfoil surface definition and a mesh morphing process transforms the nominal finite element model (FEM) to the repaired configuration. A multilevel full factorial sampling of the blend repair design space provides training data to a Gaussian stochastic process (GSP) regressor. The frequency and MAC results create a vector of training data for GSP calibration, but the airfoil mode shapes require further mathematical manipulation to avoid creating GSP models for each nodal displacement. This paper develops a method to significantly reduce blended airfoil mode shape emulation cost by transforming the mode shape training data into a reduced basis space using principal component analysis (PCA). The coefficients of this reduced basis are used to train a GSP that can then predict the values for new blended airfoils. The emulated coefficients are used with the reduced basis vectors in a reconstruction of blended airfoil mode shape. Validation data is computed at a full-factorial design that maximizes the distance from training points. It is found that large variations in modal properties from large blend repairs can be accurately emulated with a reasonable number of training points. The reduced basis approach of mode shape variation is shown to more accurately predict MAC variation when compared to direct MAC emulation. The added benefit of having the full modal displacement field also allows determination of other influences such as tip-timing limits and modal force values.