Variable Geometry Turbomachine Blade Adaptation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing turbomachine blades face challenges in maintaining optimal aerodynamic shape and efficiency at varying speeds due to increasing centrifugal forces, friction, vibrations, and flow resistance, which affect fluid flow guidance and energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
The blade is designed with different material areas of varying elasticity, allowing it to change shape in response to speed, with specific material properties and arrangements optimizing its aerodynamic shape by altering the angle of attack and curvature, thus adapting to speed-dependent conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the blade is made of uniform material with fixed geometry, then the manufacturing is simple and cost-effective, but the blade cannot adapt to varying speed conditions and maintains optimal aerodynamic shape
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is divided into multiple blade regions with different material properties. Each region can deform independently in response to centrifugal forces at different speeds, allowing the blade to adapt its overall geometry without requiring a completely complex adjustable mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
Different blade regions are assigned different material properties (elastic vs. rigid characteristics) to enable localized deformation. This allows specific portions of the blade to change shape in response to speed variations while other portions maintain their structural integrity, achieving adaptability without uniform complexity throughout the entire blade.
2Productivity
If the blade geometry is fixed, then the structural integrity is maintained across all speeds, but the aerodynamic efficiency deteriorates at varying speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The blade transitions from a static, fixed geometry design to a dynamic design where the blade geometry automatically changes in response to operating conditions (rotational speed). The elastic blade regions deform under centrifugal force to optimize aerodynamic shape at different speeds while the rigid regions maintain structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of the blade regions changes based on rotational speed. At lower speeds, the elastic regions remain relatively straight, while at higher speeds, they deform to optimized angles due to centrifugal forces. This parameter change (geometry) is directly tied to the operating condition (speed) to maintain aerodynamic efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the blade is designed to be elastically deformable, then the blade can adapt to speed variations, but the manufacturing precision and control of blade geometry become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Within each blade region, homogeneous material properties are used to ensure predictable and uniform deformation behavior. This allows the design to achieve the desired overall geometric control through the arrangement of regions rather than through complex variations within each region, simplifying manufacturing precision requirements.
4Productivity
If the blade uses different materials with different elasticities, then the aerodynamic shape can be optimized at varying speeds, but the manufacturing complexity and material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The blade uses composite construction with multiple materials having different elastic properties arranged in specific regions. This allows the blade to exhibit desired deformation characteristics under centrifugal force while potentially using manufacturing techniques like layered composite fabrication that can integrate multiple materials in a single production process, balancing manufacturing ease with performance.
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 design enables the blade to maintain an optimal fluid flow shape and efficiency across different speed ranges, reducing energy consumption and noise while enhancing the blade's structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the blade is designed to be elastically deformable depending on the speed of the impeller
Implementation Method 2
With increasing rotational speed or speed, the forces acting on the blade increase: centrifugal forces, friction, vibrations and flow resistance increase
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Disclosed is a blade (30) for an impeller (20) of an independently driven turbomachine, in particular for a fan; the blade, which is operatively connected to a hub (40) of the impeller (20), can be driven at variable speeds and is elastically deformable in accordance with the speed of the impeller (20), the blade (30) having a first blade geometry in a first speed range and a second blade geometry in a second speed range, the blade (30) taking a predetermined fluidically relevant shape in accordance with the impeller speed.