Effects of mount positions on vibrational energy flow transmission characteristics in aero-engine casing structures

Abstract

The main goal of the study is to apply the structural intensity method to analyze the effects of positions of the main-mount and the sub-mount on the vibrational energy flow transmission characteristics in aero-engine casing structures, so as to attenuate the vibration of the casing and the whole aero-engine. Structural intensity method, indicating magnitude and direction of the vibrational energy flow, is a powerful tool to study vibration problems from the perspective of energy. In this paper, a casing-support-rotor coupling model subjected to the rotor unbalanced forces is established by the finite element method. Formulations of the structural intensity of a shell element and the structural intensity streamline are given. A simulation system consisting of the finite element tool and the in-house program is developed to carry out forced vibration analysis and structural intensity calculation. The structural intensity field of the casing is visualized in the forms of vector diagram and streamline representation. The vibrational energy flow behaviors of the casing at the rotor design rotating speed are analyzed, and the vibrational energy flow transmission characteristics of the casing with different axial positions of the main-mount and the sub-mount are investigated. Moreover, some measures to attenuate the vibration of the casing are obtained from the numerical results, and their effectiveness is verified in the frequency domain and the time domain. The results shed new light on the effects of the mount positions on the vibration energy transmission behaviors of the casing structure. The structural intensity method is a more advanced tool for solving vibration problems in engineering. Furthermore, it may provide some guidance for the vibration attenuation of the casing and the whole aero-engine.