Dynamic Analysis and Reduction of a Cyclic Symmetric System Subjected to Geometric Nonlinearities

Abstract

The search for ever lighter weight has become a major goal in the aeronautical industry as it has a direct impact on fuel consumption. It also implies the design of increasingly thin structures made of sophisticated and flexible materials. This may result in nonlinear behaviours due to large structural displacements. Stator vanes can be affected by such phenomena, and as they are a critical part of turbojets, it is crucial to predict these behaviours during the design process in order to eliminate them. This paper presents a reduced order modelling process suited for the study of geometric nonlinearities. The method is derived from a classical Component Mode Synthesis with fixed interfaces, in which the reduced nonlinear terms are obtained through a STEP procedure using an adapted basis composed of linear modes completed by modal derivatives. The whole system is solved using a harmonic balance procedure and a classic iterative nonlinear solver. The application is implemented on a schematic stator vane model composed of nonlinear Euler-Bernoulli beams under von Kàrmàn assumptions.