Computational Modelling Group

Seminar  8th January 2015 2 p.m.  177/2011

Designing Turbine Blades in the Face of Uncertainty

Dr David Toal
University of Southampton

Categories
CFD, fluid structure interaction, NGCM, Turbulence, Value-driven design
Submitter
Susanne Ufermann Fangohr

Simulated flow through a gas turbine engine.

Summary

The gas turbine engine could be considered to represent the pinnacle of modern engineering design. Consisting of highly stressed components and sub-systems operating in extreme conditions, the design of a quiet and fuel efficient engine is a highly multi-disciplinary task. Nowhere is this complexity more apparent than in the design of a high pressure turbine blade. Whilst the drive to improve the performance of gas turbine engines has led to aerodynamically and structurally optimal components the performance of these components can be sensitive to manufacturing and operating variations.

The following seminar presents a brief introduction to the gas turbine engine followed by a brief discussion of the multi-disciplinary nature of turbine blade design as well as the operating and manufacturing uncertainties which may be present. The seminar concludes with a discussion of a planned research activity to develop a system for the automated design of a turbine blade film cooling layout in the presence of manufacturing uncertainties.