Fatigue Life Evaluation of an Annular Combustor Casing of a Gas Turbine Engine

摘要

Structural analysis of annular combustors of aero gas turbines presents substantial challenges to engine-development establishments because of its multifunctional aspects such as complex geometry, thin wall structures, and stringent airworthiness requirements. This paper outlines an experimental methodology for fatigue life evaluation of an annular combustor casing using a closed-loop hydraulic test facility and presents results corresponding to the initial configuration. Premature fatigue failure has revealed that a design feature with a high stress concentration on the combustor casing needs to be modified. Iterative studies are taken up to overcome the design deficiency. This paper presents a unique approach whereby the experimental results for a full-scale annular combustor are correlated with numerical predictions for ensuring structural integrity in accordance with military airworthiness standards.