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Article
Publication date: 2 October 2017

Hui Quan, Baiheng Fu, Rennian Li, Guangxian Li, Zhengjie Zhang and Jin Li

To analyze the work principle and capacity of energy conversion in each segment of profile lines, the energy transfer from impeller to transmission medium is separated into head…

Abstract

Purpose

To analyze the work principle and capacity of energy conversion in each segment of profile lines, the energy transfer from impeller to transmission medium is separated into head coefficient and load coefficient to analyze the energy transfer process. The concepts of airfoil lift coefficient and drag coefficient are used; the third manifestation of the Euler equations is used as well.

Design/methodology/approach

The numerical simulation of energy conversion mechanism based on load criteria of vane airfoil has been established in screw centrifugal pump to explain its energy conversion mechanism in an impeller. Upon this basis, the velocity and pressure along the entire blade are investigated through the numerical simulation of internal solid–liquid flow in the pump. The energy conversion process under load criteria in the blade airfoil has also been obtained.

Findings

The research suggests that the mathematical model of energy conversion mechanism based on the load criteria of the vane airfoil is reliable in the screw centrifugal pump. The screw centrifugal blade has twice or even several times the wrap angle than the ordinary centrifugal blade. It is a large wrap angle that forms the unique flow channel which lays the foundation for solid particles to pass smoothly and for soft energy conversion. At the same time, load distribution along the profile line on the long-screw centrifugal blade is an important factor affecting the energy conversion efficiency of the impeller.

Originality/value

The quantitative analysis method of energy in the screw centrifugal pump can help the pump designer improve certain features of the pump and shorten the research cycle.

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2019

Farid Shahmiri, Maryam Sargolzehi and Mohammad Ali Shahi Ashtiani

The effects of rotor blade design variables and their mutual interactions on aerodynamic efficiency of helicopters are investigated. The aerodynamic efficiency is defined based on…

Abstract

Purpose

The effects of rotor blade design variables and their mutual interactions on aerodynamic efficiency of helicopters are investigated. The aerodynamic efficiency is defined based on figure of merit (FM) and lift-to-drag responses developed for hover and forward flight, respectively.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is to couple a general flight dynamic simulation code, previously validated in the time domain, with design of experiment (DOE) required for the response surface development. DOE includes I-optimality criteria to preselect the data and improve data acquisition process. Desirability approach is also implemented for a better understanding of the optimum rotor blade planform in both hover and forward flight.

Findings

The resulting system provides a systematic manner to examine the rotor blade design variables and their interactions, thus reducing the time and cost of designing rotor blades. The obtained results show that the blade taper ratio of 0.3, the point of taper initiation of about 0.64 R within a SC1095R8 airfoil satisfy the maximum FM of 0.73 and the maximum lift-to-drag ratio of about 5.5 in hover and forward flight.

Practical implications

The work shows the practical possibility to implement the proposed optimization process that can be used for the advanced rotor blade design.

Originality/value

The work presents the rapid and reliable optimization process efficiently used for designing advanced rotor blades in hover and forward flight.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 91 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 June 2021

Witold Artur Klimczyk

This paper aims to present a methodology of designing a custom propeller for specified needs. The example of propeller design for large unmanned air vehicle (UAV) is considered.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a methodology of designing a custom propeller for specified needs. The example of propeller design for large unmanned air vehicle (UAV) is considered.

Design/methodology/approach

Starting from low fidelity Blade Element (BE) methods, the design is obtained using evolutionary algorithm-driven process. Realistic constraints are used, including minimum thickness required for stiffness, as well as manufacturing ones – including leading and trailing edge limits. Hence, the interactions between propellers in hex-rotor configuration, and their influence on structural integrity of the UAV are investigated. Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) are used to obtain loading on the propeller blades in hover. Optimization of the propeller by designing a problem-specific airfoil using surrogate modeling-driven optimization process is performed.

Findings

The methodology described in the current paper proved to deliver an efficient blade. The optimization approach allowed to further improve the blade efficiency, with power consumption at hover reduced by around 7%.

Practical implications

The methodology can be generalized to any blade design problem. Depending on the requirements and constraints the result will be different.

Originality/value

Current work deals with the relatively new class of design problems, where very specific requirements are put on the propellers. Depending on these requirements, the optimum blade geometry may vary significantly.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 94 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 January 2019

Wienczyslaw Stalewski and Wieslaw Zalewski

The purpose of this paper is to determine dependencies between a rotor-blade shape and a rotor performance as well as to search for optimal shapes of blades dedicated for…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine dependencies between a rotor-blade shape and a rotor performance as well as to search for optimal shapes of blades dedicated for helicopter main and tail rotors.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is conducted based on computational methodology, using the parametric-design approach. The developed parametric model takes into account several typical blade-shape parameters. The rotor aerodynamic characteristics are evaluated using the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes solver. Flow effects caused by rotating blades are modelled based on both simplified approach and truly 3D simulations.

Findings

The computational studies have shown that the helicopter-rotor performance may be significantly improved even through relatively simple aerodynamic redesigning of its blades. The research results confirm high potential of the developed methodology of rotor-blade optimisation. Developed families of helicopter-rotor-blade airfoils are competitive compared to the best airfoils cited in literature. The finally designed rotors, compared to the baselines, for the same driving power, are characterised by 5 and 32% higher thrust, in case of main and tail rotor, respectively.

Practical implications

The developed and implemented methodology of parametric design and optimisation of helicopter-rotor blades may be used in future studies on performance improvement of rotorcraft rotors. Some of presented results concern the redesigning of main and tail rotors of existing helicopters. These results may be used directly in modernisation processes of these helicopters.

Originality/value

The presented study is original in relation to the developed methodology of optimisation of helicopter-rotor blades, families of modern helicopter airfoils and innovative solutions in rotor-blade-design area.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 91 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 January 2015

Giovanni Droandi and Giuseppe Gibertini

The purpose of this paper is to present the aerodynamic blade design of a tiltwing aircraft with a multi-objective optimization procedure. The aerodynamic design of tiltrotor…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the aerodynamic blade design of a tiltwing aircraft with a multi-objective optimization procedure. The aerodynamic design of tiltrotor blades is a very challenging task in the project of this type of aircraft.

Design/methodology/approach

Tiltrotor blades have to give good performance both in helicopter and aeroplane modes. According to the design parameters (the chords, the twists and the airfoils along the blade), as the optimization objectives are different from one operating condition to another, the blade is the result of a multi-objective constrained optimization based on a controlled elitist genetic algorithm founded on the NSGA-II algorithm. The optimization process uses a BEMT solver to compute rotor performance. To avoid negative effects due to compressibility losses in aeroplane mode, the blade shape has been refined following the normal Mach number criterion.

Findings

It has been found that the optimized rotor blade gives good performance both in terms of figure of merit and propulsive efficiency if compared with experimental data of existing rotor (ERICA tiltrotor) and propeller (NACA high-speed propeller).

Practical implications

The optimization procedure described in this paper for the design of tiltrotor blades can be efficiently used for the aerodynamic design of helicopter rotors and aircraft propellers of all typology.

Originality/value

In this work, advanced methodologies have been used for the aerodynamics design of a proprotor optimized for an aircraft which belongs to the innovative typology of high-performance tiltwing tiltrotor aircraft.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology: An International Journal, vol. 87 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0002-2667

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 June 2012

Haijun Zeng and Youchao Sun

The purpose of this paper is to introduce parametered modeling technology for the civil aircraft engine fan blade, to design the fan blade rapidly and accurately.

1402

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce parametered modeling technology for the civil aircraft engine fan blade, to design the fan blade rapidly and accurately.

Design/methodology/approach

The entire fan blade consists of three crucial parts: blade airfoil, tenon and airfoil root. Blade airfoil with a free surface feature is formed through the blade profiles from the hub to tip in the radial direction. The non‐uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) is utilized to describe the blade profile. The geometry model of fan blade tenon is generated by extruding the sketch of the tenon. And the fillet section is designed to achieve the smooth transition of the up surface and the bottom surface of the blade root. Furthermore, the fan blade of a typical commercial engine is redesigned by the above method.

Findings

The stress analysis of the fan blade shows that the fan blade model designed in this work is reasonable.

Originality/value

The parametered fan blade model is presented on the basics of feature‐based modeling technology.

Details

Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures, vol. 8 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1573-6105

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 May 2016

Pawel Rokicki, Grzegorz Budzik, Krzysztof Kubiak, Tomasz Dziubek, Malgorzata Zaborniak, Bogdan Kozik, Jacek Bernaczek, Lukasz Przeszlowski and Andrzej Nowotnik

The purpose of this paper is to present coordinate measuring system possibilities in the meaning of the geometric accuracy assessment of hot zone elements in aircraft engines. The…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present coordinate measuring system possibilities in the meaning of the geometric accuracy assessment of hot zone elements in aircraft engines. The aim of the paper is to prove that this method, which uses blue light and is most sufficient and cost-saving method, can to be used in the production line for serial manufacturing of elements, for which a high level of accuracy is required.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis of the geometric accuracy of the blades was performed using non-contact optical coordinate scanner ATOS Triple Scan II Blue Light, manufactured by GOM Company, at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rzeszów University of Technology. Geometric analysis was conducted for blades manufactured from different waxes (A7Fr/60 and RealWax VisiJet CPX200), thus comparing injection technique and rapid prototyping (RP) method, and for casting made of Inconel 713C nickel-based superalloy.

Findings

The analysis of the criteria for the method of blades’ measuring selection showed that the chosen system successfully met all criteria for the verification of blades’ geometry at the selected stages of the process. ATOS II optical scanner with blue light technology allows measurement almost regardless of daylight or artificial (white) light. This allows the application of the measurement system in the production cycle, thus eliminating the need to create special conditions for measurements.

Practical implications

Requirements related to the accuracy of measured values, diversity and allowable measurement time are linked with the methods of production. Modern manufacturing methods based on computer-aided design systems/manufacturing/engineering systems require a non-contact optical measurement method based on the computer-aided-based coordinate measuring technique. In case of the non-contact optical scanning method based on the ATOS GOM measuring system, time and measurement costs depend on the methodology of measurement and the possibility of its automation. This is why the presented paper has a practical impact on possibilities for the automation of geometric accuracy measurements of obtained elements in the series production line.

Social implications

The use of ATOS Triple Scan II Blue Light by GOM Company allows the reduction of cost and time of production because of the possibility of the introduction of this system in an automated production line. Additionally, the measurement of hot section blades of aircraft engines by using the blue light method is much more accurate and has implication as it impacts safety of further used manufactured elements.

Originality/value

This paper presents the possibility of using the ATOS Triple Scan II Blue Light measuring system for geometric accuracy measurements in case of hot section blades of aircraft engines. This research is original because it describes three model geometric accuracy measurements, wax model obtained using the injection technique, wax model obtained using the I RP process and casting made of Inconel 713C nickel-based superalloy.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology: An International Journal, vol. 88 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 July 2021

Ramazan Özkan and Mustafa Serdar Genç

Wind turbines are one of the best candidates to solve the problem of increasing energy demand in the world. The aim of this paper is to apply a multi-objective structural…

Abstract

Purpose

Wind turbines are one of the best candidates to solve the problem of increasing energy demand in the world. The aim of this paper is to apply a multi-objective structural optimization study to a Phase II wind turbine blade produced by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to obtain a more efficient small-scale wind turbine.

Design/methodology/approach

To solve this structural optimization problem, a new Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) was performed. In the optimization study, the objective function was on minimization of mass and cost of the blade, and design parameters were composite material type and spar cap layer number. Design constraints were deformation, strain, stress, natural frequency and failure criteria. ANSYS Composite PrepPost (ACP) module was used to model the composite materials of the blade. Moreover, fluid–structure interaction (FSI) model in ANSYS was used to carry out flow and structural analysis on the blade.

Findings

As a result, a new original blade was designed using the multi-objective structural optimization study which has been adapted for aerodynamic optimization, the NSGA-II algorithm and FSI. The mass of three selected optimized blades using carbon composite decreased as much as 6.6%, 11.9% and 14.3%, respectively, while their costs increased by 23.1%, 29.9% and 38.3%. This multi-objective structural optimization-based study indicates that the composite configuration of the blade could be altered to reach the desired weight and cost for production.

Originality/value

ACP module is a novel and advanced composite modeling technique. This study is a novel study to present the NSGA-II algorithm, which has been adapted for aerodynamic optimization, together with the FSI. Unlike other studies, complex composite layup, fiber directions and layer orientations were defined by using the ACP module, and the composite blade analyzed both aerodynamic pressure and structural design using ACP and FSI modules together.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 93 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 July 2016

João Morgado, Miguel A.R. Silvestre and José C. Páscoa

The purpose of the paper is to analyse different post-stall models, originally developed for use in wind turbine codes, and extend their use to the propeller performance…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to analyse different post-stall models, originally developed for use in wind turbine codes, and extend their use to the propeller performance prediction.

Design/methodology/approach

Different post-stall methods available in the literature were implemented in JBLADE software. JBLADE contains an improved version of Blade Element Momentum theory, and it is appropriate for the design and analysis of different propellers in off-design conditions.

Findings

The preliminary analysis of the results shows that the propeller performance prediction can be improved using these implemented post-stall models. However, there is a lack of accuracy in the performance prediction of some propellers. Further comparisons including distribution of forces along the blade may help to better understand this inaccuracy of the models, and it will be studied in future work.

Originality/value

The work has extended the use of the post-stall models to the propeller performance prediction codes. It is shown that these models can be used to obtain an improved prediction of the propeller’s performance.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology: An International Journal, vol. 88 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 June 2019

Seyed Hamid Delbari, Amir Nejat, Mohammad H. Ahmadi, Ali Khaleghi and Marjan Goodarzi

This study aims to carry out numerical modeling to predict aerodynamic noise radiation from four different Savonius rotor blade profile.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to carry out numerical modeling to predict aerodynamic noise radiation from four different Savonius rotor blade profile.

Design/methodology/approach

Incompressible unsteady reynolds-averaged navier-stokes (URANS) approach using gamma–theta turbulence model is conducted to obtain the time accurate turbulent flow field. The Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings (FW-H) acoustic analogy formulation is used for noise predictions at optimal tip speed ratio (TSR).

Findings

The mean torque and power coefficients are compared with the experimental data and acceptable agreement is observed. The total and Mono+Dipole noise graphs are presented. A discrete tonal component at low frequencies in all graphs is attributed to the blade passing frequency at the given TSR. According to the noise prediction results, Bach type rotor has the lowest level of noise emission. The effect of TSR on the noise level from the Bach rotor is investigated. A direct relation between angular velocity and the noise emission is found.

Practical implications

The savonius rotor is a type of vertical axis wind turbines suited for mounting in the vicinity of residential areas. Also, wind turbines wherein operation are efficient sources of tonal and broadband noises and affect the inhabitable environment adversely. Therefore, the acoustic pollution assessment is essential for the installation of wind turbines in residential areas.

Originality/value

This study aims to investigate the radiated noise level of four common Savonius rotor blade profiles, namely, Bach type, Benesh type, semi-elliptic and conventional. As stated above, numbers of studies exploit the URANS method coupled with the FW-H analogy to predict the aeroacoustics behavior of wind turbines. Therefore, this approach is chosen in this research to deal with the aeroacoustics and aerodynamic calculation of the flow field around the aforementioned Savonius blade profiles. The effect of optimal TSR on the emitted noise and the contribution of thickness, loading and quadrupole sources are of interest in this study.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 30 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

1 – 10 of 144