A numerical study of a labyrinth-type turbine seal flutter in a large turbofan engine is described. The flutter analysis was conducted using a coupled fluid-structure interaction code, which was originally developed for turbomachinery blade applications. The flow model is based on an unstructured, implicit Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes solver. The solver is coupled to a modal model for the structure obtained from a standard structural finite element code. During the aeroelasticity computations, the aerodynamic grid is moved at each time step to follow the structural motion, which is due to unsteady aerodynamic forces applied onto the structure by the fluid. Such an integrated time-domain approach allows the direct computation of aeroelastic time histories from which the aerodynamic damping, and hence, the flutter stability, can be determined. Two different configurations of a large-diameter aeroengine labyrinth seal were studied. The first configuration is the initial design with four fins, which exhibited flutter instability during testing. The second configuration is a modified design with three fins and a stiffened ring. The steady-state flow was computed for both configurations, and good agreement was reached with available reference data. An aeroelasticity analysis was conducted next for both configurations, and the model was able to predict the observed flutter behavior in both cases. A flutter mechanism is proposed, based on the matching of the structural frequencies to the frequencies of waves traveling in the fluid, in the interfin cavities and in the high- and low-pressure cavities.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
April 2010
Research Papers
A Numerical Study of Labyrinth Seal Flutter
L. di Mare,
L. di Mare
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vibration UTC,
Imperial College London
, London SW7 2AZ, UK
Search for other works by this author on:
M. Imregun,
M. Imregun
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vibration UTC,
Imperial College London
, London SW7 2AZ, UK
Search for other works by this author on:
J. S. Green,
J. S. Green
Rolls-Royce plc
, P.O. Box 31, Derby DE24 8BJ, UK
Search for other works by this author on:
A. I. Sayma
A. I. Sayma
Department of Engineering and Design,
University of Sussex
, Brighton BN1 9QT, UK
Search for other works by this author on:
L. di Mare
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vibration UTC,
Imperial College London
, London SW7 2AZ, UK
M. Imregun
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vibration UTC,
Imperial College London
, London SW7 2AZ, UK
J. S. Green
Rolls-Royce plc
, P.O. Box 31, Derby DE24 8BJ, UK
A. I. Sayma
Department of Engineering and Design,
University of Sussex
, Brighton BN1 9QT, UKJ. Tribol. Apr 2010, 132(2): 022201 (7 pages)
Published Online: April 6, 2010
Article history
Received:
December 14, 2006
Revised:
July 20, 2009
Online:
April 6, 2010
Published:
April 6, 2010
Citation
di Mare, L., Imregun, M., Green, J. S., and Sayma, A. I. (April 6, 2010). "A Numerical Study of Labyrinth Seal Flutter." ASME. J. Tribol. April 2010; 132(2): 022201. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3204774
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Related Articles
Aerodynamic Interactions Between Parachute Canopies
J. Appl. Mech (January,2003)
Supersonic Stall Flutter of High-Speed Fans
J. Eng. Power (July,1982)
A Navier–Stokes Analysis of the Stall Flutter Characteristics of the Buffum Cascade
J. Turbomach (October,2000)
A Conceptual Flutter Analysis of a Packet of Vanes Using a Mass-Spring Model
J. Turbomach (April,2009)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Alternative Systems
Turbo/Supercharger Compressors and Turbines for Aircraft Propulsion in WWII: Theory, History and Practice—Guidance from the Past for Modern Engineers and Students
Study on Weld-Line Movement of TWBs with Different Thickness in Hydro-Forming Deep Drawing of Square Cup
International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Technology (ICMET-London 2011)
Wind Turbine Aerodynamics Part B: Turbine Blade Flow Fields
Wind Turbine Technology: Fundamental Concepts in Wind Turbine Engineering, Second Edition