Influence of trailing edge radius of intake struts on excitation force and vibration of rotor blades

Abstract

Adjusting the trailing edge radius of the intake struts may be advantageous in suppressing the vibration of compressor rotor blades. To explore the impact of the intake struts trailing edge radius on the excitation force and vibration, this study focuses on a compressor with intake struts, and fluid and vibration calculations were conducted. The study revealed that decreasing the trailing edge radius led to a reduction in separation near the strut’s trailing edge, resulting in a narrower wake and weakened mixing near the trailing edge. This caused the total pressure loss region induced by the wake to become more elongated in the low-frequency component, leading to a nonlinear decrease in total pressure amplitude with the reduction of the trailing edge radius. As the trailing edge radius decreased, the excitation force and vibration amplitude of the first-stage compressor rotor blades decreased, while the excitation force distribution showed little variation. The research findings provide insights for the design of intake struts.