Performance of Laminated Composite Turbomachinery Blades Using Finite Element Method with Delamination

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to analyze the composite twisted blades with pre-existed cracks as these are the key parts in the power unit such as turbomachinery. The composite 16-layered twisted blade is analyzed by varying the twisting angle (θ), stacking sequence [0/90/90/0]2s, [0/45/-45/0]2s, [0/60/-60/0]2s and type of composite lamina (glass/epoxy, Kevlar/epoxy and carbon AS4/epoxy) in the laminate. The structural performance of the composite twisted blade with the presence of debond at the center of the composite laminate is explored with finite element method. The changes in the structural response of the composite blade in terms of deformations, and normal and shear stresses are evaluated. The FE models are validated with published results. The present work is used for the effective design of turbomachinery blades with pre-existed cracks.