Optimization of Turbine Blade Dovetail Geometry

摘要

The reliability of a gas or steam turbine is strongly dependent on the structural design of its blades. In land-based power generation units, turbine blades are connected to the turbine disk by a dovetail joint or fastener. As the turbine rotates, the dovetail experiences centrifugal loading including contact pressure and Mises stress. Efforts to improve turbine system efficiency increase the severity of temperature and pressure operating conditions, putting greater structural demands on the blades. Computational simulation with finite element analysis (FEA) provides a powerful method for predicting the stresses and failure conditions for a given blade design. The addition of process automation and optimization tools helps engineers arrive at optimal designs in a reasonable amount of time.