Simulation of Thermo-mechanical Stresses in Gas Turbine Blades of an Aero-engine under Service Condition

Abstract

Gas turbine blades of an aero-engine are working under the high-temperature and high-pressure conditions. The prediction of temperature and pressure distribution on the blade plays the main role in the development the blade material. In the present paper, the microstructural and numerical analysis of the first stage high-pressure gas turbine blade of an aero-engine made up of Ni-based superalloys is presented. In the microstructural analysis, the average grain sizes at selected areas are calculated from an optical image and coarsening of carbide and degradation of the gamma prime phase is determined by the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). In the numerical analysis, a steady state gas flow analysis is carried out using ANSYS Fluent to predict the pressure distribution and temperature distribution on the blade. The average grain sizes and SEM results are compared with the simulated results for the validation. The maximum pressure is observed at the leading edge and pressure side of the blade, which gives the areas on the blade where it leads to erosion, deposition, and formation of cracks