STRUCTURAL EVALUATION AND TESTING OF SWEPT COMPRESSOR ROTOR

This paper summarizes specific critical issues encountered in the structural analysis of a swept first-stage compressor blade of a gas turbine engine and the results of the test to evaluate the accuracy of the modeling and surface stress prediction procedure. The surface stresses of a three-dimensional structure were obtained using membrane elements attached to the surface of solid elements. Steady stress measurements were then made during accelerations and decelerations to and from design speed. The test was conducted in an evacuated spin rig. The measurements were used to evaluate the validity of the stress prediction from finite element analysis.