Modeling Effects of Transonic Axial Compressor Performance Degradation due to Rotor Blade Damage

Particle ingestion into aircraft engines during operation causes considerable damage to the upstream axial compressor. This results in significant performance degradation of the compressor and hence, the entire gas turbine engine. Our computational study aims to model the effects of damage of the Stage 1 Rotor blade of the T700-401C engine on the performance of the axial compressor. Several damage modes of the Stage 1 Rotor blade were replicated using additive manufacturing and the resultant geometries were 3D optically scanned and incorporated into our CFD studies. The flow studies were performed in STAR-CCM+. Half-stage and full-stage studies were performed. The analyses focused on overall performance parameters namely, stagnation pressure ratio, isentropic efficiency, stagnation temperature ratio and power output.