Impact of Manufacturing Variability From Different Compressor Stages on Aerodynamic Uncertainty: An Interchangeability Study

Aerodynamic uncertainties in compressors introduced by manufacturing variability have garnered increasing attention in recent years. Accurately assessing the impact of manufacturing variations on newly designed blades is essential for facilitating robust design. However, the assessment of performance uncertainty of designed blades is significantly influenced by the method employed to introduce geometric uncertainty. This paper investigates the appropriate approach for superimposing manufacturing variations onto new blade profiles to obtain accurate insights into aerodynamic uncertainties. The first part of the paper thoroughly analyzes manufacturing variations in over 1400 newly manufactured rotor blades from different compressor stages, which were measured using a coordinate measurement machine. The statistical characteristics of geometric variations in distinct directions are captured. In the second part, by calculating the aerodynamic performance of numerous compressor blade profiles with manufacturing variability, we investigate the interchangeability of manufacturing variations from different compressor stages for accurately assessing the aerodynamic uncertainties of new designs. The results demonstrate that manufacturing variations among different stages exhibit some similar geometric characteristics and are easily interchangeable when evaluating mean performance. When assessing the standard deviation of aerodynamic performance, the statistical results corresponding to the manufacturing variations from different stages exhibit a consistent trend, with some discrepancies emerging under different operating conditions.