The Aeromechanical Response of an Advanced Transonic Compressor to Inlet Distortion

Abstract

An advanced transonic compressor was tested in the Compressor Research Facility at the Aero Propulsion Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. This compressor was designed, built, and instrumented by the General Electric Company under Air Force contract. During this test, the compressor was operated with seven different total pressure distortion screens located at the inlet, along with baseline testing of two "clean" inlet configurations. Of particular interest was the forced vibratory response of the compressor first stage integrally bladed disk (blisk) to the various distortions. This paper presents a summary of the blisk vibratory responses to each of the distortion screens. Effects of instrumentation on the dynamic response of the blisk are illustrated. In addition, the measured steady total pressure inlet distortion profiles for each screen are shown with a summary of the instrumentation used to make the various steady and dynamic measurements.