High-Pressure Compressor Blade Dynamics Under Aerodynamic and Blade-Tip Unilateral Contact Forcings

Recent studies focused on the numerical prediction of structural instabilities that may arise in rotating components of an aircraft engine. These instabilities are commonly classified into two categories: those induced by aerodynamic phenomena (such as the pressure applied on the blade by the incoming air flow) and those related to structural phenomena (such as potential blade/casing contacts). Based on an existing numerical strategy for the analysis of rotor/stator interactions induced by unilateral contacts between rotating and static components, this paper aims at combining both types of instabilities and provides a qualitative analysis of structural interactions that may arise within the high-pressure compressor of an aircraft engine. The aerodynamic pressure on the blade is simplified as a sinusoidal external load whose frequency depends on the number of upstream guide vanes. Results are presented both in time and frequency domains. Detailed bifurcation diagrams and Poincaré maps underline the fundamental differences in the nature of the witnessed interactions with and without aerodynamic loading on the blade.