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Engineering Failure Analysis 25 (2012) 304315

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Engineering Failure Analysis


journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/engfailanal

Effects of natural frequencies on the failure of R1 compressor blades


E. Poursaeidi a,, A. Babaei b, M.R. Mohammadi Arhani c, M. Arablu a
a
b
c

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran


South Pars Gas Co., Asalooyeh, Booshehr, Iran
Mobin Arya Power Engineering & Research Co., Karaj, Alborz, Iran

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history:
Received 13 April 2011
Received in revised form 30 August 2011
Accepted 19 May 2012
Available online 7 June 2012
Keywords:
Blade failures
High cycle fatigue
Finite element analysis
Vibration
Stress analysis

a b s t r a c t
There has been a statistically increased rate of a common failure in the rst stage compressor blades of frame-type gas turbines installed in a seaside power plant. A root cause analysis was performed for these failures. This paper presents the results of an experimental
and numerical analysis of the effects of natural frequencies on these failures. Fractography
analysis showed striations on the fractured surfaces of the blades, which are a common
result of high cycle fatigue (HCF). Therefore, the focus of this study is determining the
modes of vibration and the corresponding resonant frequencies. To this end, a 3-D model
of the blade and its disk under static and dynamic forces was analyzed with ANSYS
software. The simulation results showed that high stresses occurred in the areas where
the cracks initiated under both dynamic and static forces. Furthermore, from a Campbell
diagram it was concluded that the resonance of the blades under the rst and second
natural frequency modes is the primary reason for the fatigue fractures of these blades.
2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
An axial compressor is one of the main components of a gas turbine engine. The principal function of the compressor is to
compress the air that is used in the combustion process. The moving blades and discs of the compressor operate at various
temperatures and are subjected to high rotational velocities. High speeds cause large centrifugal forces in the disc and
blades. During the start and stop phases of the engine, the rst components that can be damaged are the compressor blades
because of vibrational forces. The problem of fatigue fracture of the compressor blades was described by Loureno et al. [1],
Kermanpur et al. [2], Silveira et al. [3] and Poznanska et al. [4].
Numerous reports of fractures of the rst stage moving compressor blades in frame-type gas turbines, such as at plants in
Pakistan, China, Korea, USA (New Jersey & Newark Bay) [5] and recently in Iran, show that similar fractures are due to compressor design errors. The result is that the premature, unexpected and unpredicted fracture of one of the blades and the
impaction of the fractured part on other blades cause failure of whole compressor blades. Due to the importance of this
problem, conferences have been dedicated to examining the issues with frame-type compressors [6].
The problem of premature fracture of a compressor blade occurred in four gas turbines at a seaside renery; fractures
occurred after about 26,780 h of operation for the turbine named GTG-A (30-September-2005), 31,599 h for GTG-B (31-October-2006), 30,895 h for GTG-D (02-March-2008) and 18,000 h of operation for GTG-C (20-October-2010). As shown in Fig. 1,
all of the fractures occurred in the rst stage moving blades.
According to previous investigations of the fractured surfaces of broken blades, the cracks initiated at the leading edge
and/or the pressure side of the blades, and the fractures were caused by HCF. These results were in good agreement with
Corresponding author. Address: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Zanjan, P.O. Box: 45195-313, Zanjan, Iran. Mobile: +98 912
2133496; fax: +98 26 34467231.
E-mail addresses: epsaeidi@gmail.com, epsaeidi@znu.ac.ir (E. Poursaeidi).
1350-6307/$ - see front matter 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2012.05.013

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Fig. 1. Failed blades in rst row of four frame-6 gas turbines.

the results of an Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) investigation from 2004 that showed that HCF is the most common
cause of failure in Frame-6 gas turbine compressor blades [6]. This paper presents the results of experimental and numerical
investigations of the effects of natural frequencies on these blade fractures.

2. Fractography
An investigation of the fractured blades in the four compressors mentioned above showed that in three of them the cracks
initiated from the platform; in the other compressor the crack initiated from the middle part of the pressure surface. Fig. 2a
shows a top view of the GTG-C fractured blade, which shows the crack origin zone near the leading edge, propagation of the

Fig. 2. (a) Fractured blade with a crack origin at leading edge; (b) Fractured blade with a crack origin at middle height on pressure surface.

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Fig. 3. SEM picture from fractured surface of blade.

Fig. 4. Cracked blade detected during the overhaul investigations.

crack, and the nal fracture areas. Fig. 2b shows the GTG-D fractured blade, where the average height of the fracture surface
is located in the inner third-span of the blade, approximately 62 mm above the platform. The crack propagation area and the
nal fracture with a 45-degree shear stress area are obvious in the gure.
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was employed to observe the microstructure in order to ascertain the quality of the
surface in the fractured zones. Fig. 3 shows the existence of striations in the crack propagation area of the GTG-D fractured
blade. The existence of striations proves that the fracture is due to HCF. Fig. 4 shows a cracked blade, which was detected
with dye penetrant tests during the overhaul investigations.

3. Calculation of boundary conditions and mechanical forces


The gas turbine compressors rst stage consists of cascades of 32 rotating and 62 stationary blades. The moving blades
are mounted to the disk with a dovetail-shaped root. Before every analysis, it is important to answer questions such as the
following:
1. Why did the fractures occur in certain distinct zones of the blades?
2. What are the locations of the maximum stresses on the blade?
3. Is it possible that during certain compressor operating conditions, the maximum stress occurred at the same location at
which cracks formed?
4. What should be done to prevent blade failure?
To answer these questions, it is necessary to understand the sources and magnitudes of the static and dynamic forces
acting on the blades. There are two sources of stress on rotating blades: centrifugal forces and aerodynamic forces.

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Graph 1. Normal stress due to centrifugal force at the blade vs. the normalized blade length.

3.1. Centrifugal forces


One of the most problematic loads that affect the rotating components of compressors is the centrifugal force. The centrifugal force depends on two variable parameters: the whirling rotor speed and the distance of each element from the rotating axis [7]. The centrifugal force was simulated on the elements of a FE geometric model by applying a nominal rotating
speed of 5163 rpm. The centrifugal force (Fc) and the normal stress associated with this force (rc) can be estimated from
the following formulas [8]:

F c m b r p x2 ;

mb rp x2
;
S

and

rc

where mb is the mass, x is the rotational speed of the compressor in frad


g, rp is the distance of the center of gravity from the
s
axis of rotation and S is the area of the tangential section at a radius of rp. The above equations provide a predictive assessment of the normal stress using an assumption of uniform distribution of the stress at every tangential section. Graph 1
shows the normal stress variation versus the normalized blade length. The marked point x = 0.28 shows the point corresponding to a height of 62 mm above the blade root.
In blades with high twist, the non-uniform distribution of centrifugal stresses on the blade sections causes torque at these
sections, which causes 3-D stress distributions in the blade sections. Centrifugal stresses combined with blade vibration results in such harmful phenomena as fatigue effects.
3.2. Aerodynamic forces
Compressor blades are always subject to vibrational forces and mechanical fatigue. Aerodynamic forces are due to airow
along the blades and are the main source of vibration for compressor blades. The aerodynamic loads act on the surfaces of the
blades and can be divided into three parts, which are shown in Fig. 5.
There are three approaches that can be used to study the aerodynamic forces acting on the blades: experimental models,
turbo-machine theory and computational uid dynamics (CFD). CFD is a somewhat detailed approach in which modeling has
the potential to resolve real-world 3-D engineering structures. The pressure drop, ow distribution and aerodynamic loads
can be predicted using this approach without knowledge of the ow coefcients, such as the friction and pressure ratio, in
every stage. Therefore, it is the best approach in order to perform a case study of the ow properties through the compressor
stages. A CFD analysis was previously performed [9] using a Commercial Fluent package [10] under the following boundary
conditions and assumptions:
CFD models and assumptions:
 Mesh type: Structured Hexahedral;
 Turbulent model: realizable k-e with enhanced wall treatment;
 SIMPLE pressurevelocity coupling, discretization of second order upwind convective terms, Mixing Plane (Frozen Rotor)
for coupling the rotating and stationary domains, advanced rotational periodic model to simulate the effects on each
other of adjacent blades in a row;

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Fig. 5. Aerodynamic loads acting on surface of blades.

 Ideal gas, stable and unstable ows for full and part load operating conditions.
CFD boundary conditions:
 Mass ow rate, inlet pressure and temperature were xed at the inlet section;
 All the solid boundaries were xed as insulated;
 Following the solutions until convergence when the sum of the normalized residuals for each control equation was on the
order of 1  106.
All the models and procedures that are used in the Fluent software to solve various uid mechanics and heat transfer
problems are clearly explained in the Fluent 6.3.26 user manual [10].
The results of the CFD simulation show the magnitudes and effective locations of the axial and tangential forces and torque acting on the rst row blades; under full load operating conditions the results are as follows:

F a 325:7 N; Ra 0:535 m
F t 430:4 N; Rt 0:533 m

s 116:6 N m; Rs 0:539 m
Division of the vector summation of the tangential and axial forces by the area of the pressure surface of the blade, A, gives
the equilibrium pressure, which was applied as a pressure boundary condition in the FEM analysis of the blade. The equation
for calculating the pressure is as follows:

q
F 2t F 2a
A

q
325:72 430:42
0:02599

20767:4 Pa

4. Vibrational and stress analysis of the blade


4.1. Frequency response analysis test
The results of a frequency response analysis were used to calculate the damping ratio/s of a blade at its natural frequencies. Due to the impossibility of xing the blade root in the laboratory, the vibrational analysis of the blade was performed
using a freefree test method, which is shown in Fig. 6.
Graph 2 shows the frequency responses from the vibrational analysis for the test 1 condition shown in Fig. 6. As shown in
Graph 2, there are peaks at frequencies of 760 Hz and 1852 Hz for the rst and second vibration modes (rst and second
natural frequencies).
The damping ratios of the blade at the rst and second natural frequencies can be calculated using the bandwidth method
[11], as follows:

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309

Fig. 6. Freefree vibration test instrument and location of probes on the blade.

Graph 2. Spectrum of response function to the frequency that shows the natural frequencies of the blade.

p
2
f1 760 Hz &
A760
2
f2 1852 Hz &

Hz

p
2
A1852
2

90:5 ! BW760

Hz

Hz

9:56 Hz ! n1

298:4 ! BW1852

Hz

BW
0:0063:
2f 1

12:69 Hz ! n2

BW
0:0034:
2f 2

The calculated damping ratios of the blade were used in the FEM analysis.
4.2. Finite Element Modeling (FEM)
The bladed disc is a cyclic-symmetric structure consisting of 32 blades. The blades are inserted into the grooves on the
disc via straight, axial, dovetail-shaped roots. However, to simplify the analysis of the FE model, an assembly of a single blade
on a small portion of the disc was created using the SolidWorks software package. The study then used the ANSYS nite element code. Fig. 7 shows the meshed model. First, the model was covered with different meshes, and a parametric analysis
was performed to conrm that the numerical results were grid-independent. It was determined that the optimum mesh consisted of 8291 solid elements for the blade and 1692 for the disk. 10-Node quadratic tetrahedron (solid 187) elements were
used to mesh the blade and the disk. In addition, to model the mechanical interface of the adjacent surfaces between the disk
section and the root of the blade, a high-order surface-to-surface contact element was dened.
Because the blades are under both static and dynamic loads, two distinct procedures, static and dynamic analysis, were
selected for analyzing the blades.
4.2.1. Static stress analysis
The mechanical properties of the blade material, C450, such as the Elasticity modulus, Poissons ratio and the density
were set to 200 GPa, 0.29 and 7750 kg/m3, respectively. Because the model is circularly symmetric, the lowest surface of

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Fig. 7. Model of blade covered by meshes and contact boundary between blade and its base.

the disc portion was selected to x the model radially at a cylindrical coordinate. Centrifugal force was simulated by dening
a rotating condition with a constant speed equal to 5163 rpm around the center axis of the previously dened cylindrical
support. In addition, the calculated aerodynamic equilibrium pressure was dened on the blade pressure surface. Also,
the calculated aerodynamic torque (s) was applied to the blade tangential surface at the height of Rs. A stress analysis
was then performed, and the distribution of the Von Mises stress on the suction side of the blade is shown in Fig. 8.
As shown in Fig. 8, the maximum stress occurs at a small area on the blade hub llet region, which is due to the non-uniform distribution of the stress eld in this area. The non-uniform stress distribution at the lleted area of the suction side is
due to the existence of a high magnitude torque resulting from the centrifugal and aerodynamic forces; the torque causes

Fig. 8. Distribution of von-misses stress at the suction side of the blade under static loads.

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Fig. 9. Von-misses stress distribution at the pressure surface of the blade under static loads.

maximum stress at the maximum thickness of the blade airfoil. As shown in Fig. 8, the value of the maximum stress at the
blade is 416 MPa, which is statistically in a safe margin in comparison with the ultimate strength of 814 MPa.
Fig. 9 shows the Von Mises stress distribution at the pressure surface of the blade. As shown in Fig. 9, there is a local stress
concentration zone at a height of 75 mm above the platform on the pressure surface of the blade. The position of this local
stress concentration on the pressure surface of the blade demonstrates a very good agreement between the predicted stress
distribution and the crack origin.

Fig. 10. Von-misses stress distribution under the three rst natural mode shapes of blade.

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Fig. 11. Stress concentration point at the leading edge near the platform of the blade under the second natural mode shape.

4.2.2. Modal and harmonic analysis


To examine the dynamic behavior of the blade, the FE model was investigated using two vibrational analysis methods:
modal and harmonic analysis. The rst three natural modes in a resonant state are often an issue for short blades. Therefore,
the rst three natural mode shapes and frequencies were calculated using modal analysis. The Von Mises stress distributions
for the rst three natural mode shapes are shown in Fig. 10.
The modal analysis basically solves the simplest vibration equations, which do not include the damping terms. In other
words, the calculated stress and deections in the modal analysis shown in Fig. 10 are qualitative, but the magnitudes of the
natural frequencies are exact values because the natural frequencies are independent of the damping terms.
As shown in Fig. 10, the rst three natural frequencies of the blade are equal to 323.6, 944.5 and 1137.9 Hz, and there is a
stress concentration area near the inner third-span of the blade on the pressure side, which is in good agreement with the
crack origination point shown in Fig. 2b. There is also a stress concentration area at the leading edge near the platform of the
blade under the second natural mode shape, which is shown in Fig. 11. A comparison of this location with the crack origination zones on the blades fractured near the platform (Fig. 2a) shows good agreement between the two.
The calculated damping ratio of 0.0063 was used for the harmonic analysis. The lowest surface of the disc was selected to
x the model radially in cylindrical coordinates. The excitation load as given on the blade prole was calculated from the
pressure distribution of the steady CFD analysis and the stimulus of the uctuation level per steady level and for each harmonic number. Figs. 12 and 13 show the normal stress distribution results (in the z direction) on the pressure and suction
sides of the blade for a frequency equal to 323.8 Hz.

Fig. 12. Normal stress distribution (at the z direction) under the frequency equal to 323.8 Hz at the pressure side of the blade.

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Fig. 13. Normal stress distribution (at the z direction) under the frequency equal to 323.8 Hz at the suction side of the blade.

As shown in Fig. 12, a comparison of the higher stress area from the harmonic analysis with the crack location shows good
agreement. The maximum dynamic stress is approximately 58 MPa at a height of 45 mm above the blade platform.
Fig. 13 shows the compressive stress distribution contours on the blade suction side. The locations of higher stress occurred in the inner third-span of the blade. This type of dynamic stress distribution in conjunction with the magnitude
and location of the maximum static stress on the blade resulting from the centrifugal force causes fatigue to occur in the
blade.

Graph 3. Campbell diagram for rst row blade.

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Fig. 14. P-CUT R0 blades.

4.3. Campbell diagram


The Campbell diagram shown in Graph 3 was constructed using the magnitudes of the rst ve natural frequencies,
which were determined by modal analysis and from various rotor speeds (05500 rpm). This diagram includes the rotor
exciting harmonics and the exciting harmonics of seven struts located in the compressor inlet plenum.
As shown in Graph 3, the rst natural frequency of the blade does not coincide with any harmonic orders at a nominal
rotor speed of 5163 rpm. However, unfortunately there is a coincidence between the 11th order rotor harmonic and the second natural frequency of the blade, which causes resonance in the blade. Although there are many coincidences of the rst
ve natural frequencies of the blade and the harmonics of the exciters during the start and stop sequences of the gas turbine,
these conditions are transient. The worst transient conditions appear to exist at a speed equal to 4750 rpm, where resonance
occurs with the rst natural frequency of the blade. According to the calculated stresses at the blade, which indicate a high
probability of fracture due to resonance from the rst natural frequency mode, a speed of 4750 rpm is a critical condition and
should be avoided. Designers have made certain modications to achieve high efciency and a safety margin for avoiding
resonance at the rst natural frequency in the rst row rotating blades in compressors [12].
The second natural frequency mode shape causes a small stress concentration area near the leading edge just above the
platform of the blade. It seems that the modications made by designers can unfortunately result in resonance of the blade at
the second natural frequency at the nominal rotor speed. To avoid this problem, designers created a P-CUT R0 blade, which
is shown in Fig. 14 [13], but this blade had a cracking problem at the P-CUT area and is no longer used [6].

5. Conclusions
Because of the existence of striations and separate regions at the fractured surfaces, it was concluded that blade fractures
were due to HCF. Therefore, these studies focused on determining the vibrational characteristics of the blades. To this end, a
nite element analysis of the blades was performed using two separate methods: static and dynamic analysis. The results of
both the static and dynamic FEM analyses of the blade showed good agreement between the areas where the cracks occurred
and the stress concentration areas. According to the results of the FEM harmonic analysis, the fractured area at a height of
62 mm above the platform is subject to a dynamic stress equal to 58 MPa at the rst natural frequency mode shape. Additionally, there is a stress concentration area near the leading edge just above the platform at the second natural frequency
mode shape that agrees well with the fractured zones near the platform.
The Campbell diagram shows that the 11th order rotor harmonic coincides with the second natural frequency of the
blade, which causes resonance in the blade at the nominal rotor speed. Furthermore, there is a coincidence of the 4th order
rotor harmonic and the rst natural frequency of the blade at a rotor speed equal to 4750 rpm. According to the calculated
stresses at the blade, which indicate a high probability of fracture due to rst natural frequency mode resonance, the speed of
4750 rpm was concluded to be a critical condition that should be avoided.

6. Recommendations
The moving blades of an axial compressor are an inherently vibrational element that can be resonated by exciting the
mass (blade feather) or base (blade root). To avoid blade resonance, the excitation factor should be eliminated. Exact dynamical rotor balancing is thus a very effective method for eliminating blade root excitation factors. An optimized weight
arrangement of the blades on the disk can effectively improve the vibrational stability of the blade. According to compressor
design problems and the high sensitivity of the rst row moving blades as well as the results of our CFD simulations, to avoid
any aerodynamic excitation of the blade feather, such as ow turbulence, ow wakes and blade stall, it is recommended that
a gas turbine not be operated at low loads (very far from the engine design point) for long periods. An important factor in the
creation of ow turbulence around the blade airfoil is compressor fouling. The compressor should be washed regularly (in

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advance, off-line washing) to remove the precipitated particles on the surfaces of the compressor blades. It is expected that
the engine harmonic orders would be suppressed by the above considerations.
According to GEs recommendation for the Frame-7 gas turbine eet, the users must reinspect the R0 blades after every
1600 h of operation on base-load units and after 48 red starts on cycling units, depending on the number of operating hours
per start. GE also recommends that regular blade polishing during frequent inspections will mitigate any erosion of the
leading edge. This recommendation can be effectively applied to Frame-6 engines.
A similar investigation of Frame-7 engines by the EPRI showed that replacing the C450 material with a titanium alloy (a
lighter and more erosion-resistant material) that has a lower density and weight reduces the stress in the critical leading
edge [14]. For the major problems with R0 compressor blades, EPRI investigators also recommend laser shock peening to
offset mean stress and improve durability [15].
Acknowledgments
This work was performed at the Iranian South Pars Gas Co. The nancial support of the project with this company is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also due to managers and engineers of the company for their helps during the project.
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