Validation of a Modal Work Approach for Forced Response Analysis of Bladed Disks

The paper describes a numerical method based on a modal work approach to evaluate the forced response of bladed disks and its validation against numerical results obtained by a commercial FEM code. Forcing functions caused by rotor–stator interactions are extracted from CFD unsteady solutions properly decomposed in time and space to separate the spinning perturbation acting on the bladed disk in a cyclic environment. The method was firstly applied on a dummy test case with cyclic symmetry where the forcing function distributions were arbitrarily selected: comparisons for resonance and out of resonance conditions revealed an excellent agreement between the two numerical methods. Finally, the validation was extended to a more realistic test case representative of a low-pressure turbine bladed rotor subjected to the wakes of two upstream rows: an IGV with low blade count and a stator row. The results show a good agreement and suggest computing the forced response problem on the finer CFD blade surface grid to achieve a better accuracy. The successful validation of the method, closely linked to the CFD environment, creates the opportunity to include the tool in an integrated multi-objective procedure able to account for aeromechanical aspects.