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  • SE²A - Sustainable and Energy-Efficient Aviation
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  • ICA C "Energy Storage and Conversion"
Logo Sustainable and Energy Efficient Aviation of TU Braunschweig
C3.1 - Functional 3D design and experimental validation of shape-adaptive fan blading
  • ICA C "Energy Storage and Conversion"
    • C1.1 - Design methods for aircraft energy supply systems
    • C2.2 - Integration Strategies for Power Composites in Aircraft Structures
    • C2.3 - Solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries with enhanced stability and structural integration for aviation
    • C3.1 - Functional 3D design and experimental validation of shape-adaptive fan blading
    • C3.3 - Synthetic Fuel Combustion for Aviation Application
    • C3.5 - Numerical investigations of synthetic fuel flames in aviation conditions
    • C3.6 - AICODE: Artificial Intelligence-enhanced Compressor Design
    • C4.1 - Reliable and Robust Electrical Power Conversion for Electrified Aircraft Propulsion Systems
    • C4.2 - Reliable, Efficient and Lightweight Electric Propulsion Drive Systems with Distributed Energy Supply
    • C5.1 - Total Thermal Management Design and Optimization
    • C5.2 - AER-X: Airbone Energy Recovery via vapor eXpansion
    • C5.3 - Cryogenic hydrogen exergy utilisation: Less heat rejection to ambient and more useable energy for propulsion
    • C6.1 - Data-driven understanding of aviation PEM fuel cells under reliability aspects
    • C6.2 - Design and (nano)engineering of PEMFC cathode catalyst layers to boost the efficiency and life-time under aviation conditions
    • C6.3 - DEFCA: Design-space evaluation of the air-, heat- and power-management of fuel cells for aviation
    • C6.4 - Robust and High-Density Fuel-Cell Systems
    • JRG-C3 - Fuel Cells for Aviation
    • C1.1 - Design methodology for aircraft energy supply systems
    • C2.1 - Fundamentals of ElectroFuel Synthesis for Aviation
    • C2.2 - Structural energy storage focussing on battery cells with load-bearing properties
    • C2.3 - Advanced lithium-sulfur battery concepts for aviation
    • C3.1: Multidisciplinary design of shape-adaptive compressor blading
    • C3.2: Adaptive High-Speed Compressors with optimized stage matching for flexible operation
    • C3.3: Synthetic Fuel Combustion for Aviation Application
    • C4.1 - Electric Propulsion Drive Concepts for Future Electrified Aircraft
    • C4.2 - Power Supply System for All Electric Aircraft
    • ⯇ back to research

C3.1 - Functional 3D design and experimental validation of shape-adaptive fan blading

Design process for a shape-adaptive fan rotor.

Our Motivation

The focus of this project lies on the fan of future aircraft engines. As the fan will be required in new engine architectures, independent of the energy supply, its efficiency has a crucial impact on the sustainability of future air traffic. While the fan efficiency is already high for its design flow conditions, an improvement of its off-design operation becomes increasingly important.

 

Experimental investigations

While all morphing investigations so far have been conducted numerically a prototype is now available for a preliminary validation of the design methodology. In this project further blade prototypes are planned. Based on the first results of the project, the prototypes will be made of CFRP materials, while having the main dimensions of a scaled UHBR fan blade. Here, also the impact of the blade reference shape on its deformability will be considered. Experimental investigations for all prototypes are planned with a major focus on the blade’s morphing behavior under realistic load conditions. In a first step, all investigations are conducted with stationary blades and load equivalents that include centrifugal and aerodynamic strains. Uncertainties are also covered to estimate the impact of the manufacturing process on the expected morphing behavior.

Numerical and design investigations

To achieve this goal shape-adaptive fan blading is researched within this project. To introduce a shape-adaption capability, piezoceramic Macro-Fiber-Composite actuators are integrated into the fan rotor. Energizing the actuators leads to a contraction or expansion along their fibers. Through the adhesive connection between blade and actuators, the actuators’ morphing is transferred into the rotor blading, leading to a span-wise variation of the blade staggering and turning. With the goal to ideally morph the blade’s shape according to the prevalent off-design flow conditions, the actuator configuration needs to be optimized. For this optimization and for the determination of aerodynamic morphing targets an aero-structural design methodology has been developed. This method is now being extended to include UHBR fan designs, 3D-shapes, such as lean and sweep, as well as alternative blade materials. For a stronger tailoring of the deformation behavior Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced-Polymers (CFRP) are investigated as potential blade materials. Those materials additionally allow to weave the actuators into the blade’s structure, which is expected to increases structural integrity and operational safety under aerodynamic loading.

Outlook and future application

The main goal of the three-year project is to assess the impact shape-adaptive fan blading can have on the off-design efficiency of future aircraft engines with a special focus on the experimental validation of the results. The results gained in this project are expected to pave the way towards an application of the shape-adaption technology in a rotating test-rig environment.

Project Supervision

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans Peter Monner
Abteilungsleiter Adaptronik

Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)
Institut für Systemleichtbau
Adaptronik
Lilienthalplatz 7
38108 Braunschweig

Telefon:+49 531 295-2314

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Friedrichs
Institutsleitung IFAS

TU Braunschweig
Institut für Flugantriebe und Strömungsmaschinen
Hermann-Blenk-Straße 37
38108 Braunschweig

Telefon:+49 531 391-94200

Doctoral Researchers

Felix Kleinwechter, M.Sc.
felix.kleinwechter(at)dlr.de

Field of research: Structural Mechanics
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Institute of Lightweight Systems 

Marcel Seidler, M.Sc.
m.seidler(at)ifas.tu-braunschweig.de

Field of Research: Aerodynamics
Technische Universität Braunschweig
Institute of Jet Propulsion and Turbomachinery

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Contact information

Cluster of Excellence SE²A –
Sustainable and Energy-Efficient Aviation
Technische Universität Braunschweig
Hermann-Blenk-Str. 42
38108 Braunschweig

se2a(at)tu-braunschweig.de
+49 531 391 66661

 

 

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