MS, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Engineering and Applied Science: Aerospace Engineering

A framework to reverse engineer airfoil section parameters using a Turbomachinery Blade Geometry code has been developed and presented. A multivariable single objective optimization is used to reduce the sum of the square difference between the parametric blade shape and the target airfoil blade section to obtain those parameters. The method divides input airfoil into six parts to simplify blade difference calculation. A turbomachine blade section is obtained using the new input files with airfoil parameters: inlet and outlet metal angles, six curvature control points, Leading edge radius, location of maximum thickness, value of maximum thickness, and trailing edge thickness. Key issues of the process are discussed. A demonstration of the developed method was carried out by first reverse engineering three different airfoils and then reverse engineering E3 transonic compressor blade from its sections. This blade was chosen due to its uniqueness of having a sloped hub. The Airfoil sections were plot digitized from the E3 report which were then run through the method to get Tblade3 parameters. A subsequent 3D simulation of the blade has been carried out to compare the performance of the reverse engineered blade with it's the experimental results of the actual design. Furthermore, a grid dependence and off design study (full speedline) has been carried out to determine the most appropriate running condition for the comparison. Insights on further directions are suggested that will improve the comparison.

Committee: Mark Turner Sc.D. (Committee Chair); Paul Orkwis Ph.D. (Committee Member); Benjamin Vaughan Ph.D. (Committee Member); Daniel Cuppoletti Ph.D. (Committee Member); Prashant Khare Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Aerospace Materials