An Aero-Engine Disk Sizing and Weight Estimation Approach With Improved Temperature Profiles

Abstract

During the predesign phase of an aero-engine, interdisciplinary parametric studies are crucial for identifying an optimum engine. As innovative engine concepts emerge, it is essential to study trends aiming to minimize climate impact and one of its key contributors, fuel burn. The comparatively heavy disks, subjected to high thermal and mechanical loads, are central to this analysis due to their high impact on the overall module mass. This paper proposes an approach to achieve a first lightweight mechanical design of disks in the predesign phase. Based on a performance and aerodynamic baseline, the design space and physical boundary conditions are set. First, an initial mass-optimized disk is derived using simplified temperature profiles and stress calculations under the mechanical design point conditions. Subsequently, all the module disks are considered, and an estimation for each bore temperature is achieved through a novel loop over the entire module and all available operating points (OPs). By evaluating the temperature and stress profiles across various operating conditions, the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) life of each disk can be studied. As part of a highly modular engine predesign framework, this method allows for zooming capabilities of single disk calculations by prescribing individual boundary conditions. The proposed approach already yields an initial assessment of the rotors within a short runtime, facilitating simple iterations with the succeeding design phases due to method and tool commonalities. While the primary focus of this work is on compressor design, the principles presented are adaptable and expandable to turbine disk applications as well.