Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CA3ViAR (Composite fan Aerodynamic, Aeroelastic, and Aeroacoustic VAlidation Rig)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2020-12-01 do 2022-02-28
The main aim of the CA3ViAR project is the design of an Open-Test-Case Fan geometry that will develop instability mechanisms which are representative for UHBR fans of civil aircrafts and perform a comprehensive experimental investigation to measure aerodynamic, aeroelastic and aero-acoustic performance in a wide range of operational conditions.
The “special” low transonic fan, made of composite material, presenting aerodynamic (stall) and aeroelastic (flutter) instabilities in the operating conditions inside the PTF Wind Tunnel will generate high-resolution aerodynamic, aeroelastic and aeroacoustic experimental data, to be used to calibrate and validate numerical models, and to be finally disclosed under open access for the European scientific community. Therefore, it is expected that CA3ViAR will generate impacts at several levels, including Society and Environment.
Regarding the Societal and Environmental Impacts, the current concern for global warming is pushing the research on aeronautical engines toward highly efficient solutions and designs. Since the study of where losses in efficiency occur and how to reduce them is of prime interest, and of course this affects all the engine components including the fans, the impact of CA3ViAR is going to be far reaching. Creating an experimental data-base under open access aimed at improving methods and procedures for more accurate LTF for UHBR engines will find its implementation in the future commercial jet aircraft with a clear impact on business (cost reduction), environment (greener engines) and society (greener and more affordable technologies).
Experimental tests will be performed in the Propulsion-Test-Facility (PTF) of the Institut für Flugantriebe und Strömungsmachinen (IFAS) of Braunschweig, Germany. The proposal CA3ViAR will target several objectives. Initially a literature review of the main issues affecting composite UHBR engine fans will be performed by the Technische Universität Braunschweig (TUB). The design of the Low-Transonic Fan (LTF) will be led by TUB with support from DREAM (an Italian SME) in terms of aerodynamic shaping as well as from Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH) and IBK in terms of aeroelasticity and aeroacoustics. The LTF test article, to be mechanically designed by IBK, will be conceived in a way to experience aerodynamic and aeroelastic instabilities in an expected way during wind-tunnel operations. Manufacturing-related activities will be performed under IBK supervision through subcontracting to well-recognized manufacturer specialized in rotor blades and parts made of composite and metallic materials, while requirements for the test article integration will be provided by TUB, responsible of WT instrumentation and operations. The execution of the experimental tests aimed at measuring fan instabilities (e.g. stall, flutter, etc.) will be performed by TUB with support from LUH. The last technical phase of the project
will be the calibration and the eventual validation of aerodynamic, aeroelastic and aero-acoustic models according to WT test data acquired in the PTF. This last technical phase will be led by LUH, with a strong support from all the other partners.
The “special” low transonic fan, made of composite material, presenting aerodynamic (stall) and aeroelastic (flutter) instabilities in the operating conditions inside the PTF Wind Tunnel will generate high-resolution aerodynamic, aeroelastic and aeroacoustic experimental data, to be used to calibrate and validate numerical models, and to be finally disclosed under open access for the European scientific community. Therefore, it is expected that CA3ViAR will generate impacts at several levels, including Society and Environment.
Regarding the Societal and Environmental Impacts, the current concern for global warming is pushing the research on aeronautical engines toward highly efficient solutions and designs. Since the study of where losses in efficiency occur and how to reduce them is of prime interest, and of course this affects all the engine components including the fans, the impact of CA3ViAR is going to be far reaching. Creating an experimental data-base under open access aimed at improving methods and procedures for more accurate LTF for UHBR engines will find its implementation in the future commercial jet aircraft with a clear impact on business (cost reduction), environment (greener engines) and society (greener and more affordable technologies).
Experimental tests will be performed in the Propulsion-Test-Facility (PTF) of the Institut für Flugantriebe und Strömungsmachinen (IFAS) of Braunschweig, Germany. The proposal CA3ViAR will target several objectives. Initially a literature review of the main issues affecting composite UHBR engine fans will be performed by the Technische Universität Braunschweig (TUB). The design of the Low-Transonic Fan (LTF) will be led by TUB with support from DREAM (an Italian SME) in terms of aerodynamic shaping as well as from Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH) and IBK in terms of aeroelasticity and aeroacoustics. The LTF test article, to be mechanically designed by IBK, will be conceived in a way to experience aerodynamic and aeroelastic instabilities in an expected way during wind-tunnel operations. Manufacturing-related activities will be performed under IBK supervision through subcontracting to well-recognized manufacturer specialized in rotor blades and parts made of composite and metallic materials, while requirements for the test article integration will be provided by TUB, responsible of WT instrumentation and operations. The execution of the experimental tests aimed at measuring fan instabilities (e.g. stall, flutter, etc.) will be performed by TUB with support from LUH. The last technical phase of the project
will be the calibration and the eventual validation of aerodynamic, aeroelastic and aero-acoustic models according to WT test data acquired in the PTF. This last technical phase will be led by LUH, with a strong support from all the other partners.
The Consortium started to work on 1st of September 2019. First activities on WP 1 focused on the organization of the legal framework through preparation and acceptance by all the Consortium members of the Consortium Agreement (CA). The CA has been signed in January 2020. The deliverable D1.1 has been submitted on 22/01/2020.
Activities related to data management, dissemination and exploitation of project results (WP 1) started right at the beginning of the project, in parallel with technical activities of WP 2.
Data Management Plan (DMP) and Plan for exploitation and dissemination of project results, respectively deliverables D1.2 and D1.3 have been prepared, agreed and submitted on time, at the end of the sixth month of project activities, on 29/02/2020. The project website has been designed and is now online, with specific sections for data sharing and communication within and with the Consortium.
In parallel, the project coordinator (CO), with the support of all the project members and the JU-PO, identified and contacted external experts to invite them to join the Advisory Board (AB) of the project, whose role is identified in the CA. The AB has been appointed on 18th June 2020.
A literature review has been performed in T2.1 by TUBS. Literature data and references have been collected in a unique document issued as Deliverable D2.1.
All the tasks contributing to the deliverable D2.2 “LTF performance and instability analysis, LTF mechanical design requirements” are closed. The deliverable has been submitted, it includes the detail of the technical activities performed in WP 2 and the list of high-level requirements for test article manufacturing and test rig modification to be performed in WP 3, reviewed with success during the SRR meeting, closed with the achievement of the associated milestone.
Most of the activities of WP3 are completed or close to be closed. The detail design of the test article is completed, with the two design reviews (PDR and CDR) successfully passed and the associated milestones achieved.
Preliminary activities propaedeutical to successful manufacturing and instrumentation activities, such as composite material tests at coupon level, instrumentation trials, manufacturing trials with a dummy mould to check the feasibility of the hybrid blade structure, have also been completed. Pre-test analysis to ensure safe WT operations and effective WT test matrix definition have also been tackled and reported.
At today, objectives as stated in the GA are achieved or going to be achieved. No criticality potentially affecting the project implementation is identified.
Activities related to data management, dissemination and exploitation of project results (WP 1) started right at the beginning of the project, in parallel with technical activities of WP 2.
Data Management Plan (DMP) and Plan for exploitation and dissemination of project results, respectively deliverables D1.2 and D1.3 have been prepared, agreed and submitted on time, at the end of the sixth month of project activities, on 29/02/2020. The project website has been designed and is now online, with specific sections for data sharing and communication within and with the Consortium.
In parallel, the project coordinator (CO), with the support of all the project members and the JU-PO, identified and contacted external experts to invite them to join the Advisory Board (AB) of the project, whose role is identified in the CA. The AB has been appointed on 18th June 2020.
A literature review has been performed in T2.1 by TUBS. Literature data and references have been collected in a unique document issued as Deliverable D2.1.
All the tasks contributing to the deliverable D2.2 “LTF performance and instability analysis, LTF mechanical design requirements” are closed. The deliverable has been submitted, it includes the detail of the technical activities performed in WP 2 and the list of high-level requirements for test article manufacturing and test rig modification to be performed in WP 3, reviewed with success during the SRR meeting, closed with the achievement of the associated milestone.
Most of the activities of WP3 are completed or close to be closed. The detail design of the test article is completed, with the two design reviews (PDR and CDR) successfully passed and the associated milestones achieved.
Preliminary activities propaedeutical to successful manufacturing and instrumentation activities, such as composite material tests at coupon level, instrumentation trials, manufacturing trials with a dummy mould to check the feasibility of the hybrid blade structure, have also been completed. Pre-test analysis to ensure safe WT operations and effective WT test matrix definition have also been tackled and reported.
At today, objectives as stated in the GA are achieved or going to be achieved. No criticality potentially affecting the project implementation is identified.
The ambitious part of CA3ViAR is the testing of a highly instrumented Low Transonic Fan (LTF) designed to experience instabilities, such as stall and flutter, inside a specific propulsion wind tunnel (PTF) once integrated in an experimental vehicle (the INFRA-Rig), which is currently designed and manufactured to test whatever part of the cold cycle of an aeronautical engine. This objective is beyond the state-of-the-art in itself, and constitutes an "uniqum" in the landscape of propulsion rotating components' testing.
Therefore, INFRA setup offers a bypass geometry for a 650 mm fan and up to 2 MW drive power. Together with the new LTF rotor the main result of the project will be a more complete insight regarding LTF aerodynamic and aeroelastic instabilities and related critical conditions, apart from aeroacoustic performance in both nominal operational and critical conditions. Fan instabilities will be created by either throttling the fan into part load operation or by creating a non-axisymmetric inlet flow of the fan. A special advantage of CA3ViAR is the fact, that such inlet distortion will be generated by separated inlet flow rather than by the use of aerodynamic bodies in front of the fan. Indeed, the INFRA-rig will allow CA3ViAR for both.
The build-up of the experimental campaign requires strong expertise in the instrumentation set-up and in the design and manufacturing activities. Furthermore, numerical methods for CFD, aeroelastic and aeroacoustic analysis play a significant role because they complement the experimental activity for a better understanding of the complex coupled flow physics around the LTF.
Therefore, INFRA setup offers a bypass geometry for a 650 mm fan and up to 2 MW drive power. Together with the new LTF rotor the main result of the project will be a more complete insight regarding LTF aerodynamic and aeroelastic instabilities and related critical conditions, apart from aeroacoustic performance in both nominal operational and critical conditions. Fan instabilities will be created by either throttling the fan into part load operation or by creating a non-axisymmetric inlet flow of the fan. A special advantage of CA3ViAR is the fact, that such inlet distortion will be generated by separated inlet flow rather than by the use of aerodynamic bodies in front of the fan. Indeed, the INFRA-rig will allow CA3ViAR for both.
The build-up of the experimental campaign requires strong expertise in the instrumentation set-up and in the design and manufacturing activities. Furthermore, numerical methods for CFD, aeroelastic and aeroacoustic analysis play a significant role because they complement the experimental activity for a better understanding of the complex coupled flow physics around the LTF.