ABSTRACT

Every start up and shutdown of gas turbine the turbine blades are subjected to
high centrifugal force due to high rotational speed and also operated at high
critical environmental condition. The major failure problem in the gas turbine
blade is fatigue due to the gas bending load because of high pressure, thermal
load and centrifugal load due to the engine rotational velocity. This variation due
to the cyclic load acting in the blade at every time of starting and shutdown of
the gas turbine engine. The cyclic load leads to high cycle fatigue and low cycle
fatigue High cyclic fatigue occurs when the yield strength is less than the von
misses stress and the low cycle fatigue occurs when the von misses stress is more
than
life is

yield strength. In this paper low cycle fatigue which is the strain based
calculated. The gas turbine blade was designed by using CATIA and

fatigue life analysis is carried out in the ANSYS. The stress results and the plastic
strain values are used to calculate the fatigue life of the blade.
Keywords: High cycle Fatigue, Low cycle Fatigue, von misses stress, Turbine
blade.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER
NO.

1.

TITLE

PAGE NO.

ABSTRACT

LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF TABLE

INTRODUCTION

1.1

1.2

Gas Turbine

1.1.1 Function of the Turbine

Turbine Blade Failure

1.2.1 Types of Fatigue Loads

1.2.2 Failure Analysis of Turbine Blades

1.3 S-N curve

10
11

2.

1.3
LITERATURE

3.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

17

3.1

Draft view of Gas Turbine Blade

17

3.2

Isometric view of Gas Turbine Blade

19

3.3

Four views of Gas Turbine Blade

21

13

4.

METHODOLOGY

23

WORKPLAN

25

6.

REFERENCE

26

LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE

TITLE

NO.

PAGE NO.

1.1

Schematic diagram of Gas Turbine engine.

1.2

S-N Curve

12

3.1

Draft view of straight blade without twist

17

3.2

Draft view of straight blade with twist

17

3.3

Draft view of tapered blade without twist

18

3.4

Draft view of tapered blade with twist

18

3.5

Isometric view of straight blade without twist

19

3.6

Isometric view of straight blade with twist

19

3.7

Isometric view of tapered blade without twist

20

3.8

Isometric view of tapered blade with twist

20

3.9

Four views of straight blade without twist

21

3.10

Four views of straight blade with twist

21

3.11

Four views of tapered blade without twist

21

3.12

Four views of tapered blade with twist

22

4.1

Flowchart of HCF- LCF assessment

23

LIST OF TABLES
TABLE

TITLE

NO.

PAGE NO.

3.1

Description of gas turbine blade

22

5.1

Phase II Work plan

25

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Gas Turbine
Gas turbine engine or simply a gas turbine is an internal combustion engine,
using gases such as air as the working fluid. Thermodynamic aspect of the
operation of the gas turbine is ideally modelled by the Brayton cycle. Gas turbine
engine, unlike the steam turbine, consists of several key components; those are
the compressor, combustion chamber, and turbine, which are assembled along a
rotating shaft, to perform different tasks of an internal combustion engine. Gas
intake from the inlet is first compressed using an axial compressor; which
performs the exact opposite of a simple turbine. The pressurized gas is then
directed through a diffuser (a diverging nozzle) stage, in which the gas loses its
velocity, but increases the temperature and the pressure further.
In the next stage, gas enters the combustion chamber where a fuel is mixed
with the gas and ignited. As a result of the combustion, the temperature and
pressure of the gas rise to an incredibly high level. This gas then sent to the shaft.
An average size gas turbine produces shaft rotation rates as high as 10,000 RPM,
while smaller turbines may produce 5 times as much. Gas turbines can be used to
produce torque (by the rotating shaft), thrust (by high speed gas exhaust), or both
in combination. In the first case, as in the steam turbine, the mechanical work
delivered by the shaft is merely a transformation of enthalpy (pressure) of the
high temperature and pressure gas. Part of the shaft work is used to drive the
compressor through an internal mechanism. This form of the gas turbine is used
mainly for electric power generation and as power plants for vehicles such as
tanks and even cars. The US M1 Abrams tank uses a gas turbine engine as the
power plant.

In the second case, the high pressure gas is directed through a converging
nozzle to increase velocity, and the thrust is generated by the exhaust gas. This
type of gas turbine is often called Jet engine or turbojet engine, which powers the
military fighter aircraft. The turbofan is an advanced variant of above, and the
combination of both thrust and work generation is used in turboprop engines,
where shaft work is used to drive a propeller. There exist many variants of the
gas turbines designed for specific tasks. They are preferred over these engines
(mainly reciprocating engines) due to their high power to weight ratio, less
almost entirely as the exhaust. In electrical power generation, this is waste
thermal energy is used to boil water to run a steam turbine. The process is known
as combined cycle power generation.

Fig 1.1 Schematic diagram of Gas Turbine engine.

1.1.2 Function of the Turbine

The major function of the turbine is to extract energy from the hot gas
flow to drive the compressor and the accessory gearbox. Gas turbine blades work
mostly at high temperature gradients and subjected to high rotational velocity.
High speed results in large centrifugal forces in blade and simultaneous high
temperature reduces disc material strength. The service life of critical aerospace
6

components is governed by the modes of degradation and failure such as: fatigue,
fracture, yielding, creep, corrosion, erosion, wear, etc. In that fatigue is the main
3 cause for turbine blade failure. Metals when subjected to repeated cyclic load
exhibit damage by fatigue. The magnitude of stress in each cycle is not sufficient
to cause failure with a single cycle. Large number of cycles is therefore needed
for failure by fatigue.

1.2 Turbine Blade Failure

Fatigue failure is related to repeat cycling of the load on a structural
member. The fatigue life of a structural member i.e. the number of load cycles it
can survive is in general determined by the magnitude of the stress cycles. The
exact relation between the magnitude of the stress and the fatigue life depends on
the material properties of the structural member. In general higher stresses lead
to a shorter fatigue life. For some materials fatigue only occurs if stresses exceed
a certain minimum level for other materials there is no minimal stress level. If the
stresses that are present on the turbine blade during operation and the material
properties of the turbine blade are known then an estimation of the fatigue life of
the turbine blade can be made. Generally fatigue failure occurs as follows. After
a number of load cycles a crack is initiated. This usually occurs at a point of
relatively high stress concentration points with sharp geometrical discontinuities
or points with relatively rough or soft surfaces. Once the crack is initiated it
advances incrementally through the material with each stress cycle. In general
this advance is very slow up to a certain point where it accelerates. The final
failure occurs very rapidly. High cycle fatigue corresponds to failure after a
relatively large number of load cycles. High cycle fatigue occurs at stress levels
well below the yield strength of the material where deformation is elastic. The
failure of a structural member is not caused by excessive loading but by the
repeated cycling of the load. In principle there are two ways in which the failure
of turbine blades due to fatigue problems can be eliminated. These are a correct
7

structural design and the prevention of cyclic loading. The correct design of a
structural member can usually eliminate or dramatically reduce fatigue problems.
For a turbine blade this is not always possible. The design of a blade is usually
constrained by aerodynamic properties, weight, rotor length, etc. which can make
the elimination of fatigue problems through design modifications very difficult if
not impossible. The prevention of cyclic loading in gas turbines is virtually
impossible in practice. The complex interior of the gas turbine makes the
elimination of excitations difficult. There are numerous excitations that occur
within a gas turbine. These range from vibrations like intermittent stalls, surges
and liquid slugs to forced vibrations like unbalance, vane passing, rotor stator
rubbing and cavitation. Self-excited vibrations, blades flutter and shaft hysteresis
generally does not occur in well-designed turbines. The frequency of free
vibrations can in general not be easily predicted as these mainly depend on the
characteristics of a specific turbine.
Forced and self-excited vibrations in general depend on the running
frequency of the turbine and are usually found between half to six times the
running frequency of the turbine. Modal analysis can be a powerful tool to assist
in the identification and elimination of fatigue problems. The most obvious use
of modal analysis is in determining the natural frequencies of the turbine blades.
Knowledge of these frequencies can be very useful in avoiding excessive
excitations and thereby reducing the risk of fatigue failure. A less obvious
application of modal analysis is in the validation of computer generated models
of the turbine blades. These models can be very useful to investigate turbine and
turbine blade properties under running conditions. Finite element models can be
used to predict the influence of design changes on the stresses and strains acting
on the turbine blade under running conditions.

1.2.1 Types of Fatigue Loads

A. Low Cycle Fatigue
B. High Cycle Fatigue
Fatigue can be classified in to low cycle fatigue and high cycle fatigue. For
some materials fatigue only occurs if stresses exceed a certain minimum level for
other materials there is no minimal stress level. If the stresses that are present on
the turbine blade during operation and the material properties of the turbine blade
are known then an estimation of the fatigue life of the turbine blade can be made.
In Gas turbines, blades are usually the most critical engine components,
which must endure substantial mechanical and thermal loading. Thus now a day
we are using the single crystal nickel-base super alloy as the blade material.
Fatigue life is enhanced by a low Youngs modulus, this since the stresses will be
lower for a crystal orientation with low stiffness compared to a direction with a
higher stiffness when a constant strain is considered. A problem arises in the
turbine section it will significantly affect the whole engine function and, of
course, safety of the aircraft. Excessive rotational speed of turbine is sometimes
permissible for aircraft in the case of heavy operational conditions. The joint
between the turbine blade and the disc usually represents the most critical area
from the point of view of the static and fatigue approaches. Super alloys
constitute a large fraction of the materials of construction in turbine engines
because of their unique combination of physical and mechanical properties. In
aircraft engines, it is typical to consider density-normalized properties; thus alloy
densities, which are typically in the range of 7.79.0 g/cm3, are of specific
interest. Optimization of the relevant set of mechanical properties is of paramount
importance and is dependent on a high level of control and understanding of the
processes of manufacturing, because mechanical properties are a strong function
of microstructure. Mechanical properties of primary interest include tensile
9

properties, creep, fatigue, and cyclic crack growth. Depending on the details of
component design, any one of these four properties may be life limiting. The
super alloys are having relatively high tensile and ultimate stresses. The loads
associated with these regions are mainly the centrifugal forces and thermal
stresses. Fatigue lives at critical points in the blade are computed using finite
element stress results and the failure criterion developed.
1.2.2 Failure Analysis of Turbine Blades
Aircraft engine components are subjected to variable amplitude load
conditions usually they tend to experience fatigue damage. A reliable lifetime
prediction is particularly important in the design, safety assessments and
optimization of engineering materials and structures. Many fatigue damage
accumulation theories have been put forward to predict the fatigue lives of
structure components, such as linear damage rule. The natural tendency in the
implementation of a damage tolerant approach to fatigue would be to relate
remaining life based on predictions of crack propagation rate to flaw size.
Whereas LCF involves early crack initiation and a long propagation life as a
fraction of total life, pure HCF damage is rarely observed in service or even in
the laboratory. It is therefore impractical to apply the damage tolerant approach
as used for LCF to pure HCF.
Design allowable are normally obtained on material which is
representative of that used in service including all aspects of processing and
surface treatment and are often represented as points on a Haigh or Goodman
diagram. The three most common forms of damage, either alone or in
combination, are LCF cracking, Foreign Object Damage (FOD), and contact
fatigue. To account for this damage or to design for pure HCF, the concept of a
threshold below which HCF will not occur is necessary because of the potentially
large number of HCF cycles which can occur over short service intervals. FOD
is a major source for generation of stress concentration on blade airfoils on jet
10

engines. It can range from a scratch or dent to a deep gouge on the blades. Early
stage compressor blades are prone to HCF failure initiating from FOD on or near
the leading edges FOD is usually distributed along the leading edges of the blades
ranging from the platform toward the tip, with a higher concentration of FOD
near the higher velocity tip a complex and irregular distribution of minor
indentations covers the surface including leading edge impacts. The maintenance
engineer on occasions is required to take emergency decisions on operation of
engines with FOD resulting in stress concentration on leading edge of compressor
blades. In some situation where a quick fix solution is needed to suitable high
speed grinding of FOD which generates high stress levels of stress intensities,
such as nick, dent or crack to a reduced smoothened cut out of known geometries
with contour shapes of semi-circular or U-notch, which generates the known SCF.
The typical allowable Stress Concentration Factor (SCF) of the order of 2.0 for
the compressor blades.
1.3 S-N curve
In high-cycle fatigue situations, materials performance is commonly
characterized by an S-N curve, also known as a Wohler curve. This is a graph of
the magnitude of a cyclic stress (S) against the logarithmic scale of cycles to
failure (N).S-N curves are derived from tests on samples of the material to be
characterized (often called coupons) where a regular sinusoidal stress is applied
by a testing machine which also counts the number of cycles to failure. This
process is sometimes known as coupon testing. Each coupon test generates a point
on the plot though in some cases there is a run out where the time to failure
exceeds that available for the test (see censoring). Analysis of fatigue data
requires techniques from statistics, especially survival analysis and linear
regression.

11

Fig 1.2 S-N Curve

12

CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
The complexity while analyzing the low cycle fatigue and high cycle fatigue
in Gas turbine blades, can be minimized in many ways that can be explained in
below followed survey.

2.2 Summary
[1]

Aarash Rahman used different failure mechanisms, resonant vibration of

blades has a major role and therefore is the subject of many recent research works.
Therefore, in this paper, modal analysis of a first stage blade in ALSTOM gas
turbine is investigated and natural frequencies and vibration modes of blade are
found in various conditions. For this purpose, a cloud-point model of a gas turbine
blade has been created using 3D Laser Digitizer. Then the numerical calculation
by finite element method using ANSYS software based on experimental test
conditions is utilized and Experimental natural frequencies have been obtained.
The results show acceptable agreement between the experimental and FEM
results

[2]

Dianyin Hu focused on a crack growth life assessment method for a

turbine component under high low combined cycle fatigue (HLCCF) loading
through experimental and numerical methods. Crack growth tests under HLCCF
loading on five full scale turbine components, attached to actual turbine discs,
were conducted at elevated temperature by using a Ferris wheel combined fatigue
system to simulate the stress under HLCCF loading and temperature distributions.

13

[3]

M. Mirzaei described the stress analysis and life assessment of a first-

stage air-cooled blade made of the super alloy IN738LC. Three-dimensional

finite element thermal and stress analyses of the blade were carried out for the
steady-state full load operation. The results of these analyses were used for
determination of the regions where the combination of high temperature and high
tensile stress was sufficient for significant creep-fatigue crack growth.
Accordingly, a critical point at the leading edge of the airfoil, near the root, was
selected for crack modelling. An incremental crack growth scheme was
considered and the total life for the growth of a 0.5mm surface crack to a 5mm
through-thickness crack was calculated.

[4]

Madan Kumara M C analyzed Nickel base single crystal material is used

due to the effectiveness over polycrystalline blade materials. HCF caused by large
resonance stresses is one of the main problems in turbine blade design. Fatigue
analysis is done for the notched linearly varying rotating blade, the alternating
stress, strain energy, stress intensity and life of the rotating blade is found.
Influence of size and location of the damage on blades life is reported. Failure
analysis of the rotating blade is carried to know the effect of the notch on the
damaged blade and use it in critical conditions.

[5]

Binesh Philip studied the fatigue life of the blade subjected to static and

dynamic loads, the analysis is divided into two parts. In the first part, the blade is
subjected to static loading that is centrifugal and gas bending load. Results
obtained are based on the above process. In case of static loading, it is observed
that the dovetail regions will have a minimum life in LCF. And in case of dynamic
loading, it is observed that the maximum speed of the fan blade is close to one of
the blade passing frequencies. Hence, the deflections are predominantly similar.
14

It is also observed that under dynamic loading, the airfoil is having a minimum
life in HCF.

[6]

Nandish R.V explained the severity of Foreign Object Damage induced

notches can vary significantly, depending on their geometry and location on the
aerofoil caused by large resonance stresses is one of the main problems in turbine
blade design. Fatigue analysis is done for the notched rotating blade, the
alternating stress, fatigue stress concentration factor and life of the rotating blade
is found for the known stress concentration factor. Failure analysis of the rotating
blade is carried to give the information to maintenance engineer for critical usage
of turbine blades.

[7]

Patil A.A described the failure of a second stage blade in a gas turbine was

investigated by mechanical examinations of the failed blade. The blade was made
of a nickel-base alloy Inconel 738LC. The turbine engine has been in service for
about 73,500 hrs. An analytical calculation parallel to the finite element method
was utilized to determine the static stresses due to huge centrifugal force. The
dynamic characteristics of the turbine blade were evaluated by the finite element
mode and harmonic analysis. Finally according to the log sheet records and by
using a Campbell diagram there was a good agreement between the failure signs
and FEM results which showed the broken blade has been resonated by the third
vibration mode occasionally before the failure occurred.

[8]

Tulsidas focused in utilizing a technique to assess low cycle fatigue life of

stream turbine blade. Two approaches are employed here, first is based on the
linear elastic finite element analysis. Fictive elastic results are recalculated using
Neubers rule. Second approach is based on elastic-plastic finite element analysis.
15

Strain amplitude approach is followed through universal slop method and coffinManson equation to determine the number of start-up and shut down cycles.

[9]

Wassim Maktouf and Kacem Sa studied the failure of a first stage

compressor blade of a Gas Turbine Generator in a Gas Treatment plant caused

severe mechanical damage to the compressor section and power supply troubles.
In this paper, the blade failure is investigated by mechanical, metallographic and
chemical analysis. A finite element analysis is performed on the blade geometry
to identify the stress concentration areas and the stress/strain values. The
investigation outcomes provided the most probable cause of the premature blade
failure and the recommendations to mitigate such incidents.

16

CHAPTER 3
DESIGN CONSIDERATION
3.1 DRAFT VIEW OF GAS TURBINE BLADE

Fig 3.1 Straight Blade without Twist

Fig 3.2 Straight Blade with Twist

17

Fig 3.3 Tapered Blade without Twist

Fig 3.4 Tapered Blade with Twist

18

3.2 ISOMETRIC VIEW OF GAS TURBINE BLADE

Fig 3.5 Straight Blade without Twist

Fig 3.6 Straight Blade with Twist

19

Fig 3.7 Tapered Blade without Twist

Fig 3.8 Tapered Blade with Twist

20

3.3 FOUR VIEWS OF GAS TURBINE BLADE

Fig 3.9 Straight Blade without Twist

Fig 3.10 Straight Blade with Twist

21

Fig 3.11 Tapered Blade without Twist

Fig 3.12 Tapered Blade with Twist

3.1.4 DESCRIPTION OF GAS TURBINE BLADE
Table 3.1: Description of gas turbine blade

S.NO
Blade high
Root chord
length
Tip chord
length
Stagger angle
Dove tail
type

Straight
Blade
Without
Twist
100 mm

100 mm

Tapered
Blade
Without
Twist
100 mm

50.13 mm

50.13 mm

50.13 mm

50.13 mm

50.13 mm

25.065 mm

50.13 mm

25.065 mm

00

50, 100 ,150

00

50, 100 ,150

Fit tree

Fit tree

Fit tree

Fit tree

Straight Blade
With Twist

22

Tapered
Blade With
Twist
100 mm

CHAPTER 4
METHODOLOGY
`

Geometry
model of a Fan
Blade

Mesh
Convergence
Studies

Finite Element
modeling

Pre-stressing
Metal
Properties

Modal Analysis

Linear
analysis

Campbell Diagram
Boundary
Conditions

NO

Von
Misses
stress>
Yield
stress
YES

Centrifugal
Force

Harmonic analysis
at blade passing
frequencies

Non Linear
Analysis
Stress based
Approach

Gas Bending loading

Strain based
Approach

HCF
Assessments
Stress Strain
Data

LCF
Assessments

Fig. 4.1 Flowchart of HCF- LCF assessment

23

Description:
As depicted in the methodology flow chart, it is important to have a finite
element model. The quality of results is dependent on the quality of FE model.
Denser the mesh used for analysis, better will be the results. The FE model is
generated in ANSYS14.0. The FE element library contains a variety of element
types. The use of these elements is governed by the type of problem, time for
solving the problem and quality of results. It is also advisable to have best quality
mesh for fatigue life assessment. For the current problem, a mesh convergence
study was carried out to decide on the quality of mesh.

24

CHAPTER-5

WORKPLAN

Table 5.1: Phase II Work plan

LIST OF WORK

OCT

NOV

DEC

JAN

FEB

1-31

1-30

1-31

1-30

1-28

Journals for Fatigue

Analysis

Material Selection
Finite

Element

Modelling
Analyzing the
Model with various
Boundary
Condition
Result

25

CHAPTER 6
REFERENCES
1. ArifSugianto, NanangYulian, Failure Analysis of a First Stage High
Pressure Turbine Blade in an Aero Engine Turbine on PK-GSG Boeing
B747-400. Dept. of Aircraft Engineering, Research and Development
Material Process - Engineering Services GMF Aero Asia, Soekarno-Hatta
Intl Airport, Tangerang 19103, Banteng, Indonesia
2. Aarash Rahman(2013) modal analysis of a first stage blade in Alstom gas
turbine and comparison with experimental results
3. Madan kumara m c1, nandish. r. v2, madhu e3,2014 fatigue failure
analysis of rotating blade of uniform varying cross section with damage at
the leading edge IOSR Journal of Engineering, 2787-7819 PP 17-4.
4. Binesh philip1, 2010, n. c. Mahindra babu2 numerical estimation of
fatigue life of aero engine fan blades fatigue life Design and analysis, 262
155-14.
5. C. Schweitzer, T. Seifert, B. Nieweg, et al.2011 Mechanisms and
modelling of fatigue crack growth under combined low and high cycle
fatigue loading. International Journal of Fatigue, 33 194-202.
6. D.Y. Hu, R.Q. Wang, G. C. Hoe, 2013 Combined Fatigue Experiments
on Full Scale Turbine Components", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace
Technology, 2013, 85 (on line).
7. LucjanWitek, 2006, Failure analysis of turbine disc of an aero engine,
Engineering Failure Analysis vol.3 917.
8. N.X. Hoe, Z.X. Wen, Q.M. Yu, et al.2009 Application of a combined high
and low cycle fatigue life model on life prediction of SC blade.
International Journal of Fatigue, 616-619.
9. Patil.A.A, Shirsat U.M, Study of Failure Analysis of Gas Turbine Blade,
IOSR Journal of Engineering, 2878-8719 PP 37-43.
10.R.Q. Wang, J.X. Nie.1997 A new experimental method to study combined
fatigue of actual turbine disk mortise teeth at elevated temperature.
Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, Transaction of the
ASME, 119 969-972.
11.R.Q. Wang, C.D. Cho, J.X. Nia.,2005 Combined fatigue life test and
extrapolation of turbine disk mortise at elevated temperature Journal of
Engineering for Gas Turbine and Power, Transactions of the ASME, 127
863-868.
26

12.S.Bhat, R.Patibandla, 2011 Metal Fatigue and Basic Theoretical Models:

A Review, Alloy Steel - Properties and Use, Dr. Eduardo Valencia
Morales (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-307-484-9, 2011 in Tech, DOI:
10.5772/28911.
13. Segersll, Mikael, 2013 Nickel-Based Single-Crystal Super alloys: the
crystal orientation influence on high temperature properties, Licentiate
Thesis, Linkping University Electronic Press, Linkping Studies in
Science and Technology. Thesis, ISSN 0280-7971; 1568.
14. S. Issler, E. Roos.2003 Numerical and experimental investigations into
life assessment of blade-disc connections of gas turbines. Nuclear
Engineering and Design, 226 155-164.
15. Tresa M. Pollock, Sammy Tin, 2006, Nickel-Based Super alloys for
Advanced Turbine Engines: Chemistry, Microstructure, and Properties.
Journal of propulsion and power vol. 22, no. 2. .

27