Aero engine blade thermo-structural design

An aircraft engine’s turbine blades must be able to operate safely and durably in harsh environments that create significant structural and thermal load changes. Temperature, stress and vibration all combine to impact a blade’s lifespan and performance, and the shape of the turbine blade must incorporate optimal aerodynamic and heat transfer characteristics. Manufacturers therefore need to test how it will perform in a full range of conditions.

A build and test approach to designing aero engine turbine blades is expensive and time-consuming, but the complexity of the physics involved in blade development makes simulation challenging without the right software tools.

Hexagon’s simulation software gives aero engine turbine blade engineers the ability to perform the multidisciplinary analysis and modelling that is crucial to understanding the complex physics behind high-quality turbine blade design. In addition to performing linear and non-linear analysis for static, dynamic and thermal situations, engineers can draw on features including topological optimisation capabilities and fatigue analysis.