Bladed Disk Nodal Diameter Extraction by Numerical and Experimental Methods

Rotor dynamics is known as the study of vibrational behavior in axially symmetric linear rotating structures. Devices such as engines, turbines, compressors and generators are located in this category. Study of vibrational behavior of these structures in different rotational velocities yields to recognition of critical points and preventing failures, especially high cycle fatigue. The case study of the present paper is a bladed disk used in the first stage of compressor of a gas turbine engine. The material of machined integrated bladed disk is aluminum alloy. The simulations have been done by ANSYS finite element software. By using the cyclic symmetry module of ANSYS the nodal diameter mode shapes of structure have been obtained. In the next step, experimental modal analysis test has been done by measuring 58 points on the bladed disk and the nodal diameters have been obtained experimentally. Finally, experimental and simulation results have been compared to each other. The novelty of this paper is the experimental procedure of obtaining nodal diameter of a bladed disk, which is so useful in verification of numerical simulation.