Rotor Balancing via Simulation-Driven Laser Deposition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for balancing gas turbine engine rotors, such as blisks and bladed disks, face challenges in minimizing weight and tensile loads while achieving precise balance, often requiring trial weights and compromising on longevity or accessibility.
Innovation Solution
A method involving computerized simulation to determine optimal balance zones and locations for material deposition using techniques like blown powder direct laser deposition, which allows for precise control of mass and location to achieve balance with minimal material addition and reduced tensile loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If material is removed from balancing lands to balance blisks, then the rotor can be balanced, but the overall weight of the disc increases and requires further material to increase strength to offset increased centrifugal force
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of removing material from balancing lands to achieve balance, the invention applies the opposite approach by adding material to specific locations on the rotor. This inverts the conventional balancing methodology and eliminates the need to compromise balancing land material, thereby avoiding the weight increase and subsequent structural reinforcement requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental parameter of balancing from material removal to material addition. By using computerized simulation to determine optimal balance zones and applying material deposition processes, the method achieves precise balance without the weight penalties associated with traditional material removal techniques.
2Measurement precision
If bolted weights or dome head rivets are added to balance discs, then balancing can be achieved, but access to both sides of the component is required and holes must be made in the surface which may weaken it
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a computerized simulation model (a virtual copy of the rotor) to determine the optimal balance zones and material deposition locations before actually applying material to the physical rotor. This simulation approach eliminates the need for trial-and-error physical testing and provides precise guidance for material addition without requiring holes or complex access procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces traditional mechanical balancing methods (using bolted weights or dome head rivets requiring holes and two-sided access) with a computerized simulation system that uses computational algorithms to determine balance zones. This substitution of mechanical trial-and-error with computational analysis eliminates the manufacturing complexities of drilling holes and accessing both sides of the component.
3Measurement precision
If trial weights are applied to balance rotors, then balancing can be attempted, but the overall mass and tensile loads on the rotor increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention fundamentally changes the balancing approach by using computerized simulation to calculate and specify the exact mass and location of material to be deposited. This parameter-driven approach replaces trial weights with calculated precision, minimizing the total mass added while achieving the required balance, thereby reducing the tensile loads on the rotor.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies material deposition only at specific locally identified balance zones where it is most effective, rather than distributing trial weights throughout the rotor. The computerized simulation identifies optimal local locations for material addition, concentrating the balance correction where it provides maximum effect with minimum mass, thus reducing overall tensile loads.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach minimizes the overall mass and tensile loads on the rotor, enabling finer control over balance and extending the component's life by reducing structural requirements and allowing for repeated balancing operations without permanent modifications.
Implementation Method 1
a laser beam is then used to melt the metal powder and fuse the metal powder to the surface of the rotor at the target location
Implementation Method 2
blown powder direct laser deposition
Data Source
AI summary
A method of balancing a physical rotor includes: determining a first balance state of the physical rotor at one or more rotational frequencies; identifying one or more balance zones on a surface of the rotor; providing a computerised simulation of the rotor having the first balance state; providing a first test mass in a first test location within one of the balance zones on the rotor simulation; determining a second balance state of the rotor simulation; providing at least one subsequent test mass in at least one subsequent test location within a balance zone on the rotor simulation and determining at least one subsequent balance state of the rotor simulation; selecting a mass and location from one of the first and subsequent test masses and test locations; and performing a material deposition process to add the selected mass of material to the selected location on the physical rotor.