Characterizing the dynamics of transition on turbofan blades

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Pratt and Whitney Canada (P&WC) is a leading manufacturer of turbofan engines used in business jets. The high efficiency of these engines relies on the use of high-bypass ratio fan blades, for which the blades require the airfoil profile to be slender. Often during operation, the flow over these fan blades leads to the formation of a laminar separation bubble (LSB), and the boundary layer flow becomes transitional. At high altitudes and at low Reynolds numbers (Re), movement of the transition point may create unsteady loadings, which can potentially lead to severe vibration of the blade, known as flutter. The goal of this research program is to investigate how the formation of the LSB and its movement can contribute to flutter. The flow over a generic airfoil profile will be examined as a baseline case, using both state-of-the-art experimental and numerical tools. The eventual goal is to develop a properly calibrated transition model appropriate for use with industrial simulations that can predict the onset and behaviour of flutter over a range of operating conditions. The proposed program will primarily support training of highly-qualified personnel (HQP) including two undergraduate researchers (per year), four PhD students (per year) as well as two postdoctoral fellows (per year). The HQP will have an opportunity to either work closely with the P&WC or even conduct part of their research while at their R&D facilities in Mississauga.