42nd AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit AIAA 2006-4620

9 - 12 July 2006, Sacramento, California

Numerical Analysis of Aircraft Engine Fan Blade-Out

Yuriy N. Shmotin* and Dmitriy V. Gabov†

NPO SATURN, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region, 152903, Russia

and

Alexander A. Ryabov‡, Sergey S. Kukanov§ and Vadim N. Rechkin**

JSC SarovLabs, Sarov, Nizhniy Novgorod Region, 607190, Russia

Important aspects of fan blade-out (FBO) are analyzed and investigated through
numerical simulations. A computing technology based on modern engineering analysis
software (PROSTAR, ANSYS, and LS-DYNA) is used to conduct the simulations. This
technology covers all the principal features of the problem⎯elastic-plastic behavior of the
materials, large displacements, contact interaction between structural elements, and
material failure phenomena. The convergence of the numerical solutions is confirmed
through the application of different codes and finite element meshes to the same tasks.

I. Introduction

I N accordance with International Aviation Rules, all modern commercial jets must meet safety requirements. Loss
of a blade rotating at high rate of speed is one possible phenomenon that can occur in an operating engine. In this
case, the released blade has a great deal of kinetic energy and strikes other parts of the jet. In order to insure safety
and power, the jet must be designed such that it precludes a blade from penetrating the engine case. The fan of a
high-bypass turbine engine is the most dangerous structural element in terms of maximum kinetic energy. The loss
of a fan blade can be initiated by material failure due to fatigue or other phenomena. The initial material micro
damage may appear at any point on the blade, followed by crack propagation caused by inertia forces due to
rotation, and ultimately the blade loses its integrity. The blade follows a tangential trajectory and hits the
containment case of the engine, causing severe deformations in the case. The blade decelerates during impact. It also
breaks into several fragments that interact with adjacent blade, causing severe local strains in the adjacent blade. The
fan blade-out event causes a rotor unbalance, which results in the remaining blades coming into contact with the
case. This moving contact with the containment case deforms the remaining blades until the rotation speed has
dropped, reducing the unbalance loads.
The brief description of a fan blade-out event shows the complexity of the problem, which includes all the
nonlinearities of structural dynamics: plastic behavior of the materials, large displacements, and contact interaction
between structural elements. Given the high strain rates, the solution to the problem should address dependences of
material behavior via strain rates. Blade fragmentation phenomena and possible failure of the containment case
during high speed impact also need to be taken into account.
Today, a problem as complex as this can be solved reliably with a modern computing technology that involves
the use of static and dynamic stress-analysis simulations. The application of this technology to aircraft problems is
presented in Ref. 1−3. The technology is also used in different branches of industry, including nuclear
engineering.4,5 In this paper, the combined, complex methodology is used to solve an aircraft engine fan blade-out
(FBO) problem. The methodology includes the PROSTAR code6 for mesh generation, the ANSYS code7 for static
analysis, and the LS-DYNA code8 for dynamic calculations.

*
Deputy general designer, Engineering Analysis Department, 163 Lenin Avenue.
†
Research engineer, Engineering Analysis Department, 163 Lenin Avenue.
‡
VP, director of engineering, Engineering Analysis Department, 23/16 Varlamovskaya Road.
§
Senior research engineer, Engineering Analysis Department, 23/16 Varlamovskaya Road.
**
Senior research engineer, Engineering Analysis Department, 23/16 Varlamovskaya Road.

1
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Copyright © 2006 by Joint Stock Company "Saturn", Russian Federation. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., with permission.