Modelling and analysis of defect rectification impact on turbofan engine compressor blades’ operation capacity

Jet engines are subject to various damaging factors, among which operational ones are dominant throughout their life cycles. At the same time, the dominant share of deteriorations specific to compressor components occurs in the fan module of modern turbofan engines: bends, cracks as well as dents on fan blades and distortions of tip section. Repairing these defects, according to operations and maintenance documentation, usually requires removal of material that primarily carries the applied loads. Rotor blades of booster stages and the high-pressure compressor (HPC) are also susceptible to the same types of mechanical damage, albeit to a lesser extent. At the same time wide chord fan blades are becoming increasingly common. Evaluation of rotorblade operational capability is based on strength criteria. This article presents the principles and results of complex research – not previously reported in works – on how defect rectification affects stress distribution in compressor rotor blades of three specific sizes (“classic” fan blades, wide-chord fan blades, booster-stage and first-stage HPC blades). To solve the stated problem, 3Dmodels of compressor rotor blades were developed using CAD software Kompas-3D integrated with the structural analysis module APMFEM for mass-produced aviation engines of the CFM56 family. The validity and adequacy of the modeling principles and blade parameters were verified by estimating the natural frequencies of compressor-blade vibrations in the CAD environment and by experimental assessment using the resonance method. The paper makes it possible to understand the degree to which damage rectification in various areas of compressor blades of three specific sizes and in perspective wide-chord fan blades impacts operational capability in practical terms.

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