Structural optimization of uniaxial symmetry non-circular bolt clearance hole on turbine disk

This study proposes a parameterized model of a uniaxial symmetry non-circular hole, to improve conventional circular bolt clearance holes on turbine disks. The profile of the model consists of eight smoothly connected arcs, the radiuses of which are determined by 5 design variables. By changing the design variables, the profile of the non-circular hole can be transformed to accommodate different load ratios, thereby improving the stress concentration of the area near the hole and that of the turbine disk. The uniaxial symmetry non-circular hole is optimized based on finite element method (FEM), in which the maximum first principal stress is taken as the objective function. After optimization, the stress concentration is evidently relieved; the maximum first principal stress and the maximum von Mises stress on the critical area are reduced by 30.39% and 25.34% respectively, showing that the uniaxial symmetry non-circular hole is capable of reducing the stress level of bolt clearance holes on the turbine disk. (C) 2014 Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of CSAA & BUAA.