Aerodynamic performance evaluation of subsonic compressor cascade blade with leading-edge damage

Abstract Material loss at the leading edge of in-service gas-turbine engine blades is detrimental to the aerodynamic performances of compressors. In this study, computational simulations and experiments using pneumatic probes were conducted to measure the total pressure loss of compressor cascade blades with material loss at their leading edges. The correlations between blade leading-edge damage geometries and cascade blade total pressure losses were analyzed. The geometrical features of blade leading-edge damage that most affect the cascade blade total pressure loss were distinguished, and the influences of leading-edge damage region cross-sectional shapes on the cascade blade total pressure loss were examined. Two methods for evaluating the total pressure loss of damaged cascade blades were developed using experimental and numerical data. In the first method, an attempt is made to correlate the cascade blade total pressure loss with a characteristic parameter that is defined using scale and angle parameters of the leading-edge damage region. The second method is based on the probability distribution function as well as the critical loss boundary of the geometrical parameters of the leading-edge damage region. The results of this study provide a better understanding of the influence of damaged leading edges on compressor cascade blade aerodynamic performance and can help establish low-cost methods for the estimation of compressor performance degradation.