Recent Advances in Lifing and Optimization of Rotating Machinery

J. S. Rao

Chief Science Officer

Altair Engineering India Pvt Ltd

Bangalore

js.rao@altair.com

Abstract

            Though the concept of a reaction turbine was evolved nearly 2200 years ago, a working steam turbine was demonstrated just about 120 years ago. With the discovery of Dynamo, power plants generating electricity grew in rapid numbers; together the size of the plants also grew up. During II World War, jet engines were developed using Gas turbines, Centrifugal and Axial flow compressors. Their speeds and efficiencies have increased manifold in about 60 years. These fast developments have naturally led to severe fatigue failures, particularly of turbomachine blades. Fatigue is essentially due to resonance and therefore researchers have initially developed blade and bladed-disk vibration theories which eventually led to fatigue life assessment methods.