Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME), Wright State University, 2018, Mechanical Engineering

High-lift low-pressure turbine blades produce significant losses at the junction with the endwall. The losses are caused by several complex three-dimensional vortical flow structures, which interact with the blade suction surface boundary layer. This study investigates the unsteady characteristics of these endwall flow structures on a highly loaded research profile and the adjacent endwall using surface-mounted hot-film sensors. Experiments were conducted in a low-speed linear cascade wind tunnel. The front-loaded blade profile was subjected to three different inlet conditions, consisting of two turbulence levels, and three incoming boundary layer thicknesses. Multiple surface-mounted hot-film sensors were installed throughout the passage. This thesis progressed in three stages of research. The first verified that the hot-film sensors could be used to detect flow structures in the cascade. The second used the results from installed hot-films to examine the unsteady characteristics of vortices formed near the leading edge and the propagation of the passage vortex across the passage where it interacts with a corner separation along the suction surface. Simultaneous measurements from the hot-film sensors were analyzed for frequency spectra and time lag in order to provide new insight into the endwall flow dynamics. Finally, signatures from the hot-films were linked to specific flow phenomena through concurrent flow visualization. At each stage of the investigation, results were compared to the results of a numerical simulation.

Committee: Mitch Wolff Ph.D. (Advisor); Rolf Sondergaard Ph.D., P.E. (Committee Member); Christopher Marks Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Aerospace Engineering; Engineering; Mechanical Engineering

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME), Wright State University, 2016, Mechanical Engineering

Improvements in turbine design methods have resulted in the development of blade profiles with both high lift and good Reynolds lapse characteristics. An increase in aerodynamic loading of blades in the low pressure turbine section of aircraft gas turbine engines has the potential to reduce engine weight or increase power extraction. Increased blade loading means larger pressure gradients and increased secondary losses near the endwall. Prior work has emphasized the importance of reducing these losses if highly loaded blades are to be utilized. The present study analyzes the secondary flow field of the front-loaded low-pressure turbine blade designated L2F with and without blade profile contouring at the junction of the blade and endwall. The current work explores the loss production mechanisms inside the low pressure turbine cascade. Stereoscopic particle image velocimetry data, total pressure loss data and oil flow visualization are used to describe the secondary flow field. The flow is analyzed in terms of total pressure loss, vorticity, Q-Criterion, Reynolds' stresses, turbulence intensity and turbulence production. The flow description is then expanded upon using an Implicit Large Eddy Simulation of the flow field. The RANS momentum equations contain terms with static pressure derivatives. With some manipulation these equations can be rearranged to form an equation for the change in total pressure along a streamline as a function of velocity only. After simplifying for the flow field in question the equation can be interpreted as the total pressure transport along a streamline. A comparison of the total pressure transport calculated from the velocity components and the total pressure loss is presented and discussed. Peak values of total pressure transport overlap peak values of total pressure loss through and downstream of the passage suggesting that total pressure transport is a useful tool for localizing and predicting loss origins and loss development using (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mitch Wolff Ph.D. (Advisor); Rolf Sondergaard Ph.D. (Committee Member); Rory Roberts Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Aerospace Engineering; Engineering