Three Dimensional Stress Analysis in a Steam Turbine Blade

by

Anas Hakimi bin Kori

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of

the requirements for the
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)
(Mechanical Engineering)

NOVEMBER 2010

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS

Bandar Seri Iskandar
31750 Tronoh
Perak Darul Ridzuan

1
 CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL

Three Dimensional Stress Analysis in a Steam Turbine Blade

by

Anas Hakimi Bin Kori

A project dissertation submitted to the

Mechanical Engineering Programme

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS

in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the

Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)

(Mechanical Engineering)

Approved by,

(Dr. Setyamartana Parman)

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS

TRONOH, PERAK
November 2010

i
 CERTIFICATION OF ORIGINALITY

This is to certify that I am responsible for the work submitted in this project, that the
original work is my own except as specified in the references and
acknowledgements, and that the original work contained herein have not been
undertaken or done by unspecified sources or persons.

ANAS HAKIMI BIN KORI

ii
 ABSTRACT

The objective of this project study is to determine the stress distribution and stress
concentration in a turbine blade by analyzing how stress acted on the steam turbine
blades during its operation.

The stress concentration occurs when the steam turbine blade is working in extreme
environment and the presence of the sharp edges in the profile of the blade localizes
some stresses. If the material is unable to withstand the stress subjected on it, the
blade will fracture and failure happens.

This project of study is about the stress analysis in the steam turbine blade. Manual
calculations will be done with several assumptions made for the ease of calculation.
Finite Element Analysis will be used to predict the area that most likely has the
highest concentrated stress. All components of the turbine will be investigated to
produce a set of simulation data. Using CATIA, three-dimensional model will be
created and transferred to ANSYS for analysis purpose.

The outcome expected in this study is to be able to recognize the location on the
turbine blade that has the highest stress concentration and further approach to reduce
it.

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, thank to Allah S.W.T for the strength and opportunity given to
carry all the tasks allocated for Final Year Project 1 and 2 throughout the year.

The author would like to express the deepest gratitude and thanks to Project
Supervisor Dr. Setyamartana Parman for his timeless efforts and immeasurable
guidance during the project period. The author is really grateful for his efforts in
providing the best knowledge and technical expertise.

Million thanks to the staff of Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS especially in

Mechanical Engineering Department for sharing their knowledge and skills
throughout the period.

Special thanks to the author’s family for their support in completion of the Final
Year project.

iv
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE
CERTIFICATIONS …………………………………………………… i
ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………… iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS …………………………………………… iv
LIST OF FIGURES …………………………………………………… vii
LIST OF TABLES …………………………………………………… x

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION …………………………………… 1

1.1 Project Background …………………………………………… 1
1.2 Problem Statement …………………………………………… 1
1.3 Objectives …………………………………………………… 2
1.4 Scope of Study …………………………………………… 2

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW …………………………... 4

2.1 Stress Analysis of Steam Turbine Blades …………………… 4
2.2 KKK AFA 4 Steam Turbine Blades …………………………… 5
2.3 Material of the Turbine Blade …………………………… 6
2.4 Principles of the Steam Turbine Blading …………………… 7
2.5 Centrifugal Stress ……………………………………………. 8
2.6 Fluid Pressure Differrence ……………………………………. 10
2.7 Finite Element Analysis and ANSYS …………………… 13

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY/PROJECT WORK …………… 15

3.1 Project Flow Chart …………………………………………… 15
3.2 Tools/Equipment Required …………………………………… 16
3.3 Developing the 3D Solid Model of the Turbine Blade …... 16
3.4 Collection of Required Data …………………………………… 16
3.5 Familiarization with ANSYS …………………………………… 16
3.6 Manual Calculation of the Turbine Blade Stress …………... 17
3.7 Simulation of the Stress Concentration by ANSYS and
Comparison of Results between Manual Calculation and
Computer Simulation …………………………………... 21
3.8 Gantt Chart …………………………………………………... 23

v
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS …………………... 24
4.1 Results …………………………………………………... 24
4.2 Discussion …………………………………………………... 42

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS …… 45

REFERENCES …………………………………………………… 46

APPENDICES

vi
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1 Turbine, facing north 6

Figure 2.2 Turbine, facing south 6

Figure 2.3 Demonstration of the reaction turbine 8

Figure 2.4 Demonstration of the impulse turbine 8

Figure 2.5 Simplification of blade dimensions 9

Figure 2.6 The graphical representation of the fluid pressure difference 11

Figure 2.7 The velocity diagram of steam entering and exiting the turbine
blade 12
Figure 2.8 The velocity diagram of steam entering and exiting the turbine
blade 12
Figure 2.9 The orientation of the steam forces and the rotation of rotor 13

Figure 3.1 Project Flow Chart 15

Figure 3.2 Rotor mounted on shaft 17

Figure 3.3 Front view and side view of the rotor 17

Figure 3.4 Free body diagram of rotor blade showing the centrifugal force 18

Figure 3.5 Front and side views of the rotor showing the direction of axial and
tangential forces 18

Figure 3.6 The axial and tangential moments caused by the corresponding
loadings 19

Figure 3.7 The direction of tangential and axial moments 20

Figure 3.8 Vane section for steam bending moments 20

Figure 3.9 The length of centroid to the point of interest with respect to XX and

XY directions 21

Figure 3.10 Material properties 22

vii
Figure 3.11 Element types 22

Figure 3.12 Element size 23

Figure 4.1 General view of the turbine rotor 24

Figure 4.2 The dimension of the rotor as measured 24

Figure 4.3 The top view of the rotor blade 25

Figure 4.4 The side view of the rotor blade 25

Figure 4.5 The blade profile and its dimension in millimeter 26

Figure 4.6 Using CATIA to measure the inlet and exit steam relative velocity
vector, β1 and β2 26

Figure 4.7 Isometric view of Model 1 27

Figure 4.8 Multi-view of Model 1 27

Figure 4.9 The orientation of the axial and tangential forces 29

Figure 4.10 The general velocity diagram of inlet-exit steam velocity 29

Figure 4.11 The velocity diagram of the steam, which gives the inlet velocity
and relative inlet velocity 30

Figure 4.12 The complete velocity diagram of the steam, built with the aid of
CATIA 31

Figure 4.13 V1 and V2 will be resolved into axial and tangential velocities for
the calculation of the steam loadings 31

Figure 4.14 Graphical presentation of the resolved V1 and V2 31

Figure 4.15 The usage of CATIA to find the area moment of inertia, Ixx and Iyy 33

Figure 4.16 The usage of CATIA to measure the length of certain points from
the centroid 33

Figure 4.17 The meshing of the turbine blade using Hexahedral Dominant
method 35

viii
Figure 4.18 Set the local CS 36

Figure 4.19 Set rotational velocity 36

Figure 4.20 Set boundary condition 36

Figure 4.21 The boundary condition of the blade 36

Figure 4.22 The general view of the result of simulation for centrifugal stress 37

Figure 4.23 Some of readings of the blades under centrifugal stress using probe
utility 37

Figure 4.24 Set the loadings on the blade 38

Figure 4.25 The direction of force 39

Figure 4.26 The general view of the result of simulation for steam bending
stress 39

Figure 4.27 Some readings of the blade under steam bending stress using probe
utility 40

Figure 4.28 The general view of the result of simulation for the stresses
combination 41

Figure 4.29 Some of readings of the blades under stresses combination using
probe utility 41

ix
LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1 Operating data and limits of KKK AFA 4 steam turbine 6

Table 2.2 Chemical composition of X22CrMoV12.1 7

Table 2.3 Material properties of X22CrMoV12.1 7

Table 4.1 Height measurement for the blade 27

Table 4.2 The data required for the centrifugal force calculation 28

Table 4.3 The readings of the centrifugal stress around the turbine blade 38

Table 4.4 The readings of the steam bending stress around the turbine blade 40

Table 4.5 The readings of the combination of stress around the turbine blade 42

x
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Project Background

A steam turbine is a heat engine that transforms the heat energy from superheated
steam into kinetic energy in the form of turbine shaft rotation. The energy
transformation process is from steam expansion through the nozzle or stator blade,
and the jet from the steam expansion hit the rotor blade which in turn drives the rotor
to move the turbine shaft.

This project of study is about analyzing the stress concentration of steam turbine
blades. There are two important elements of energy extraction during the operation of
a steam turbine. The first is the steam nozzle which is mounted on the stator and the
rotor blade which is attached to the rotor. At the nozzle, the steam expands from a
high pressure state towards the low pressure state, and producing the steam jet. At the
rotor blade, the steam jet from the nozzle hits the rotor blade.

Blade force is produced from the difference between momentum entering and
momentum exiting the blade row. The rotor blades facing the steam will carry most
of the flow loading. As a result, the rotor rotates about the shaft axis at very high
speed. The high rotational speed plus the high pressure, high temperature and high
speed steam loadings lead to the centrifugal force and steam bending loading, thus
resulting to the tensile and bending stresses on the turbine blades.

1.2 Problem Statement

Steam turbine blade is working in very extreme environment. It is working under

high temperature and high pressure steam flow from the nozzles. The loading on a
rotating turbine blade is composed of:

i) Centrifugal force due to high speed rotation.

ii) Bending force due to fluid change of momentum.

1
The steady-state stresses in the turbine blade are a combination of centrifugal load
and the bending load due to steam force. Centrifugal stress is a function of the mass
of material in the blade, blade length and speed. The component of centrifugal force
acting radially outward exerts a tensile stress at the root. Sufficient cross-section area
must be provided in the blade at the root and a material capable of withstanding the
stress must also be provided.

Bending stress is caused by the fluid pressure difference due to the steam forces on
the moving blade surface. The steam force produces thrust which acted in the axial
and the tangential direction. The axial thrust is the thrust produced along the axis of
the shaft while the tangential thrust is the thrust produced in the direction of blade’s
velocity vector.

With the blades rotating at such extreme condition, it is very important to analyse the
stress acting upon the turbine blades during the design phase of the turbine. If a blade
were to fail in-service, it can result in safety risks and cost thousands to repair and if
the machine is not functioning up to the required design condition, it can cost
hundreds to thousands of lost revenue. It is therefore very important to understand
the forces and resultant stresses acting on a turbine blade. The calculation of blade
stresses gives an understanding of how they behave in-service under a variety of
operating conditions.

1.3 Objectives

1) To study, analyse and calculate the stresses that acted on the single-stage impulse
steam turbine blades.

2) To do the stress analysis by Finite Element Method by using computer software

and compare the result with the calculated values.

1.4 Scope of Study

The scope of this study is to do stress analysis on single-stage impulse steam turbine.
Research about stress acted on the steam turbine blade will be carried out. It is
important to be able to calculate the stress using hand calculation before proceeding
to use the computer software.

2
For the computer tools, first the turbine blade is modeled using CATIA V5. From
there, the model can be exported to ANSYS for the stress analysis purpose. The
operating condition will be simulated using ANSYS. Once the result is obtained, it
will be compared to the hand calculation results.

3
 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Stress Analysis of Steam Turbine Blades

Stress analysis is an engineering discipline that determines the stress in materials and
structures subjected to static and dynamic forces or loadings.

The objective of stress analysis process is to determine whether the element or

structure, can safely withstand the specified loadings when the structure is subjected
to it. This is achieved when the resultant stresses due to the applied loadings to the
material are less than the allowable stresses the material can withstand. Allowable
stress is the working stress that happened to a structure. The allowable stress must be
lower than the failure stress of the material. Failure stress is found from experimental
testing of the material.

The relationship between these working stress and failure stress is determined by
Safety Factor. Safety factor is a design requirement for a structure based on the
uncertainty in loads, material strength, and consequences of failure (note that safety
factor is the minimum required factor for design, while Design Factor could be equal
or exceed the safety factor). Safety factor is selected based on experience so that the
above mentioned uncertainties are accounted for when the member is used under
similar conditions of loading and geometry. Generally, safety factor is the ratio of
material strength to the design loads. In this case, it is the ratio of failure stress to the
allowable stress. However, Safety Factor will not be covered as it is not one of the
interests in this study.

Stress concentration is a location where stress is concentrated. An object is strongest

when force is evenly distributed over the surface area. The reduction in acting surface
area results in the localized increase of stress. This is logical with the definition of
stress which is the intensity of loads or forces when subjected to a unit of area.
Simply put, it is:

4
 Force
Stress, σ = (E 2.1)
Area

The main cause of the stress concentration is due to the geometric discontinuities that
increases the intensity of the buildup of the stress field. In engineering practice, the
actual stress distribution does not have to be determined. Instead, the maximum
stress at these sections must be known. For design or analysis, it is necessary to
determine the maximum stress acting on the smallest cross-sectional area.

To determine the stress concentration on the steam turbine blade, it is very important
to analyse the loadings that acted on the blade. The loadings that acted on the turbine
blade are centrifugal forces, fluid-pressure differences and vibration. The severest
stress is imposed by the centrifugal forces due to high rotating speed. Fluid-pressure
differences is due to the gust forces which are exerted by the working fluid (the hot,
fast and high pressure steam flow) on the moving blade surface and resulted to the
bending stress. Vibration is neglected for the ease of this study. Therefore, the
determined stresses exerted to steam turbine blades are centrifugal stress and
bending stress.

The steady-state stress at any section of a parallel sided blade is a combination of

direct tensile load due to the centrifugal force and bending load due to the steam
force. The combined tension and bending stresses is maximum at blade roots and
diminishes with radius.

2.2 KKK AFA 4 Steam Turbine Blades

In this study, Kuhnle, Kopp & Kausch (KKK) type AFA 4 Steam Turbine will be
analysed. The KKK AFA 4 Steam Turbine is the turbine that is used in a Kg Gajah
Palm Oil Mill, Kg Gajah, Perak. This type of turbine is the single-stage impulse
turbine.

5
 Figure 2.1: Turbine, facing Figure 2.2: Turbine, facing
north south

The operating data of the KKK AFA 4 steam turbine is as follows:

Coupling Output Maximum 1265 kW

Output speed Normal 1500 1/min
Speed Trip Minimum 1678 1/min
Normal 1695 1/min
Maximum 1712 1/min
Gear ratio 8.21
Live steam pressure Minimum (limit) 15.50 bar g
Normal (operating) 19.60 bar g
Maximum (limit) 23.70 bar g
o
Live steam temperature Minimum (limit) 203.00 C
o
Normal (operating) 214.00 C
o
Maximum (limit) 242.00 C
Exhaust steam pressure Minimum (limit) 2.50 bar g
Normal (operating) 3.50 bar g
Maximum (limit) 4.50 bar g
o
Exhaust steam temperature Maximum (limit) 180 C

Table 2.1: Operating data and limits of KKK AFA 4 steam turbine

2.3 Material of the Turbine Blade

Based on the service instructions of the KKK Steam Turbine type AFA 4, the
material for the turbine blade is X22CrMoV12.1, which is the equivalent for
Martensitic Steel No. 1.4923. The blade material is the same with the rotor material

6
as the blades themselves are fixed homogenously with the rotor wheel. The chemical
composition of material is shown in Table 2.2. Table 2.3 below shows the material
properties of the X22CrMoV12.1.

Summary of properties: For use up to 580oC. Also used for turbine parts.

C Si Mn P S Cr Mo Ni V
0.20 0.30 0.60 ≤0.035 ≤0.035 11.80 1.00 0.60 0.30

Table 2.2: Chemical composition of X22CrMoV12.1

PROPERTIES VALUE
3
Density (kg/m ) 7700
Yield Strength (MPa) ≥600
Tensile Strength (MPa) 800-950
Modulus of Elasticity (MPa) 200 000
Poisson’s Ratio 0.29
Elongation (%) 14
Reduction of Area (%) 40
Electrical Resistivity, 20oC (Ω mm2/m) 0.60
Magnetizable Yes
Thermal conductivity, 20oC (W/m K) 24
o
Specific Heat Capacity, 20 C (J/ kg K) 460
Thermal expansion coefficient (µm/mK) Between 20 – 200oC = 11.1

Table 2.3: Material properties of X22CrMoV12.1

2.4 Principles of the Steam Turbine Blading

Two principles are used to design and construct steam turbines to get the desired
result. These are the reaction turbine and the impulse turbine. Both methods convert
the thermal energy stored in the steam into useful work, but they differ somewhat in
the way they do it. In the following paragraphs is the explanation of the two basic
turbine principles.

7
The reaction blading principle depends on the blade diverting in the steam flow and
gaining kinetic energy by the reaction. For the reaction blading turbine, the steam
pressure drop is divided between the fixed and moving blades.

Figure 2.3: Demonstration of the reaction turbine

The impulse blading principle is that the steam is directed at the blades and the
impact of the steam jets drives the blades around. For the impulse blading type, the
whole of the stage pressure drop takes place in the fixed blade (nozzle) and the steam
jets act on the moving blade by impinging on the blades.

Figure 2.4: Demonstration of the impulse turbine

The impulse blade is subjected to bending from the tangential force exerted by the
fluid. Meanwhile, the reaction blade has an additional force resulting from the large
axial thrust because of the pressure drop which occurs in the blade passages.

2.5 Centrifugal Stress

One of the loads that acted on the turbine blade is centrifugal force. Centrifugal
stresses are a function of the mass of material in the blade, blade length and speed.

8
The component of centrifugal force acting radially outward exerts a tensile stress at
the root. This direct tensile stress (centrifugal stress) is maximum at the blade root.
Following are the calculation method to get the centrifugal force on the blade. The
general equation for centrifugal force is
F = m𝜔2r (E 2.2)
where m is the mass of the object, r is the radius of the curvature and 𝜔 is the angular
or rotational speed of the object.

Note that the mass of the blade is distributed over its length and the radius of
curvature also changes along the length of the blade. Consider a small segment mass
δm having width δr at a distance r from the center. Then the equation for the
centrifugal force is δF is given by
δF = δm𝜔2r (E 2.3)

Practically, a turbine blade tapers geometrically in thickness from the root towards its
tip. However for simplicity, it is assumed that the blade is having a constant cross
sectional area and material density. These assumptions lead to the integral of δm will
be directly proportional to the δr, that is
δm = ρAδr (E 2.4)

Then equation E x.x will become

δF = δm𝜔2r
δF = ρA𝜔2rδr (E 2.5)

Equation E x.x can be formally as

dF = ρA𝜔2rdr (E 2.6)

Figure 2.5: Simplification of blade dimensions

9
The area of interest now is to have the centrifugal force acting on the turbine blade
from the blade root towards its tip. Integration of equation (E 2.6), with limits from r1
to r2 would obtain

r2
F = ρA𝜔2 r1
𝑟𝑑𝑟

r 22 − r 12 (E 2.7)
F = ρA𝜔2
2

Once centrifugal force is obtained, I will proceed to the next step which is estimating
the nominal stress σ on the blade root using the relation

𝐹
𝜎= (E 2.8)
𝐴root

2.6 Fluid Pressure Differrence

Fluid pressure differences is due to the gust forces which are exerted by the working
fluid (the hot, fast and high pressure steam flow) on the moving blade surface and
resulted to the bending stress. The gust force, or the force from the steam flow
produces thrust which acted in the axial and the tangential direction. The axial thrust
is the thrust produced along the axis of the shaft while the tangential thrust is the
thrust produced in the direction of blade’s velocity vector.

As mentioned in section 2.2, KKK AFA4 Steam Turbine is the impulse type steam
turbine. In impulse turbine, the whole stage pressure drop takes place in the fixed
blade (nozzle). The steam jet impinges on the blade, and the impact drives the blades
around. The tangential thrust load exerted by the steam produces the fluid pressure
difference. Simply put, the graphical presentation of the fluid pressure difference is
as follows:

10
 Pressure at the front
Blade tangential
of the blade
direction

Turbine
blade
Pressure at the rear
of the blade

Figure 2.6: The graphical representation of the fluid pressure difference

The impact from steam jet resulted to the greater pressure at the rear of the blade than
the pressure at the front of the blade. The steam jet exerts tangential force to the
impulse blade and produces bending to the blade. The moment of this force stress
due to this are both maximum at the blade root.

The tangential force impressed by the steam jets on the blades are given by equation
Ft = ΔVω (E 2.9)

where
Ft = tangential force of the steam jet
= mass flow rate of the steam

ΔVω = change in velocity in tangential direction

To measure the fluid pressure difference of a steam turbine blade requires the
understandings of the velocity diagrams at the blade itself. First is the blade
orientation, steam direction when it leaves the nozzle until it hits the blade nose and
when the steam leaves the throat.

11
 Nozzle

Turbine Blade

Figure 2.7: The velocity diagram of steam entering and exiting the turbine blade

In the diagram,

V1 and V2 are the steam absolute inlet and exit velocities respectively;
Vr1 and Vr2 are the inlet and exit steam relative velocities (to the blade);
Vb is the tangential blade velocity;
α is the absolute steam inlet angle;
β1 and β2 are the inlet and exit angles of relative velocities.

Taking the tangential blade velocity, Vb as reference, the two velocity diagrams can
be superposed as in this figure 2.8 below:

V1
Vr2
Vr1
V2
β2 δ
β1
α

Vb

Figure 2.8: The velocity diagram of steam entering and exiting the turbine blade

In the figure above, the angle between the tangential blade velocity and the absolute
steam exit velocity, δ is introduced.

Resolving both V1 and V2 to the tangential and axial axis, the equation will be

12
 ΔVt = V1 cos α - V2 cos δ (E 2.10)

ΔVa = V1 sin α - V2 sin δ (E 2.11)

Now, the loading will be

Ft = (V1 cos α - V2 cos δ) (E 2.12)

Fa = (V1 sin α - V2 sin δ) (E 2.13)

Having identified all the three loadings the turbine blade is subjected to, the
orientation of the loading is also very important to be understood. The image below
shows the orientation of the loadings. The axial force is directed across the blade, the
tangential force is acted to push the blade forward while the rotational load tend to
rotate the blade about the shaft axis.

Rotational loading

Tangential force, Ft

Axial force, Fa

Figure 2.9: The orientation of the steam forces and the rotation of rotor

2.7 Finite Element Analysis and ANSYS

The finite element method is a numerical procedure that can be used to obtain
solutions to a large class of engineering problems involving stress analysis, heat
transfer, electromagnetism, and fluid flow.

There are three general procedures in FEA which are Preprocessing, Solution and
Post-processing.

13
The Preprocessing phase involves defining the geometric domain of the problem, the
element types used and their material properties, the geometric properties of the
elements, the element connectivity, the physical constraints and also the loadings. In
this phase, equations for the elements will be developed. This Preprocessing phase is
the most important phase as it determines the entire result of the analysis.

In Solution phase, a set of the linear or nonlinear equations are solved simultaneously
to obtain the nodal result.

In Post-processing phase, the results will be analyzed and evaluated. The examples of
the evaluation are equilibrium check, animate dynamic model behavior, and produce
color-coded temperature plots.

ANSYS is a general-purpose finite element modeling package for numerically

solving a wide variety of mechanical problems including the stress acted on steam
turbine blades. Generally, the process of simulation can be divided into these three
following steps which is just the same as the general procedures of FEA mentioned
above:

1) Preprocessing: Defining the problem

The turbine blade area, volumes type and material properties are defined.
2) Solution: Assigning loads, constraints and solving
The loads which are the forces calculated are applied on the turbine blade
after setting its constraint which is its root.
3) Post-processing: Further processing and viewing the results
The stress contour diagrams are produced and viewed for further analysis.

14
 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY/PROJECT WORK

3.1 Project Flow Chart

Start

Identification of problem

Literature Reviews

Collection of data FYP 1

Developing the 3D model of

turbine blade using CATIA

Familiarization with ANSYS

Manual calculation of the stress

on the turbine blade

Develop the stress analysis and

simulation of stress
FYP 2
concentration using ANSYS

Comparison of the results

NO Does the result meets

the expectation?

YES

End

Figure 3.1: Project Flow Chart

15
3.2 Tools/Equipment Required

The tools and equipment that are required in this project are a Microsoft-Windows-
based computer together with the Microsoft Office, CATIA and ANSYS softwares.
Microsoft Office programs are Microsoft Word for writing reports and Microsoft
Excel for rearranging data. CATIA is for three dimensional model drafting of the
turbine blade and also to aid with the geometrical problems. ANSYS is a Finite
Element Analysis software that will be used for the model simulation. The model is
imported from CATIA which has been mentioned earlier.

3.3 Developing the 3D Solid Model of the Turbine Blade

In developing the 3D model of the turbine blade, CATIA will be used. CATIA stands
for Computer Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application is a multiplatform
CAD/CAM/CAE commercial software suite. CATIA is widely used throughout the
engineering industry, especially in the automotive and aerospace sectors. CATIA is
chosen because of the 3D modeling capability and its integrability to be exported to
ANSYS for the purpose of stress analysis and simulation. For the turbine blade
model, the KKK AFA 4 single-stage impulse steam turbine is used. The
measurement of the blade dimension is done during the Kg. Gajah Palm Oil Mill shut
down of the steam turbine for maintenance purpose.

3.4 Collection of Required Data

Collection of data is required before manual calculation and computer simulation are
taking place. The required data includes the operating parameter of the KKK AFA 4
steam turbine from the turbine manual as well as the calculation methods and
formulae of the stress that acted on the steam turbine blade from books, research
paper and internet.

3.5 Familiarization with ANSYS

ANSYS will be used for the computational way of measuring stress that acted on the
turbine blade. ANSYS also will be used as the simulation tool to inspect the stress
distribution and stress concentration on the turbine blade. For that purpose, ANSYS
has to be familiarized first. ANSYS familiarization is done by using the model
developed earlier from the CATIA model.

16
3.6 Manual Calculation of the Turbine Blade Stress

The manual calculation includes the calculation of centrifugal stress and the fluid
pressure difference. The centrifugal stress is caused by the high speed rotation of the
rotor and results in the tensile loadings to the turbine blades. Fluid pressure
difference results in the bending stress at the root of the blade. The stress acted on the
steam turbine blade is maximum at the root section and diminished with the blade
height.

There are many steps for manual calculation of the stresses acted on the turbine
blades. To ease the calculation, one needs to consider developing the free body
diagram of the turbine blades. One single blade will be taken as a model with loads is
acting on it. The loads are centrifugal force and steam force. The steam force can be
resolved into axial force, which acts along the shaft axis and tangential force, which
acts on the whirl direction of the rotor.

Rotor
Rotor blade
Rotor
shaft

Figure 3.2: Rotor mounted on shaft

Centrifugal Force, Centrifugal Force,

Fc Fc
Axial Force, Tangential Force, Ft
Fa

(a) (b)
Figure 3.3: Figure (a) is the front view of the rotor, which shows the orientation of
the axial force while figure (b) is the side view of the rotor which shows the
orientation of the tangential force

17
 3.6.1 Centrifugal Stress

Centrifugal force is the force that is resulted from the circular motion of the rotor.
The force is directed outward from the center of the rotation, and resulting to the
tensile loading on the turbine blades. The centrifugal stress, which is caused by the
centrifugal force is more important than other stress exerted by flow forces since its
value is dominant.

Figure 3.4: Free body diagram of rotor blade showing the centrifugal force

Having the required information, centrifugal force can be calculated using equation
2.7, then the centrifugal stress calculation can be proceeded using equation 2.8.

r22 − r12 (E 2.7)

Fc = ρAcross-section𝜔2
2
𝐹𝑐
𝜎𝑐 = (E 2.8)
𝐴root

3.6.2 Fluid Pressure Difference (Steam Bending Stress)

Steam bending stress is caused by the axial and tangential loadings acted on the
turbine blades. The projection of the forces is depicted as below:

Axial Force, Fa Tangential Force, Ft

(a) (b)
Figure 3.5: Front and side views of the rotor showing the direction of axial and
tangential forces

18
There are several steps for doing the calculation. The steps are:

1) Draw the free body diagram of the turbine blade.

2) Draw the velocity diagram of the steam.
3) Once, the velocity diagram is constructed, axial and tangential force is
calculated.
4) Calculate the moment caused by the each force calculated.
5) Convert the moment direction in the axis that is across the horns (blade’s tips)
and perpendicular to a line across the horns.
6) Bending stress can now be calculated.

To calculate the steam loadings, the velocity of steam is required. This input data can
be obtained by employing the velocity diagram of steam at turbine blade. Using the
inlet and exit velocities from the velocity diagram, axial and tangential force can be
obtained by employing equations 2.12 and 2.13.

Ft = (V1 cos α - V2 cos δ) (E 2.12)

Fa = (V1 sin α - V2 sin δ) (E 2.13)

Axial Moment, Ma Tangential Moment, Mt

Axial Force, Fa Tangential Force, Ft

h = 15.71mm

Figure 3.6: The axial and tangential moments caused by the corresponding loadings

When the forces are known, having the moment arm, which is the blade length, the
corresponding moments can be calculated.

19
 Mt = Ft .h (E 3.1)

Ma = Fa .h (E 3.2)

Mt

Ma
c

t
a

Figure 3.7: The direction of tangential and axial moments

When the tangential and axial components of the bending moments have been
determined, the actual bending moments in the cane, which is across the horns and
perpendicular to a line across the horns, which is the direction in which the section
moduli are normally calculated can be established for a vane with a setting angle of θ
as shown in Figure 3.8 . These moments can be resolved in the directions XX and YY
as Mxx and Myy to give equations 3.3 and 3.4.

Figure 3.8: Vane section for steam bending moments

Mxx = Mtcosθ + Ma.sinθ (E 3.3)

Myy = Mt.sinθ + Ma.cosθ (E 3.4)

20
When the actual bending moment is obtained, then the bending stress calculation can
now be done. The stress calculation requires the value of the moment of inertia and
also the length from centroid to the point of interest, with respect to the XX and YY
directions.

Figure 3.9: Figure shows the length from centroid to the point of interest with
respect to XX and YY directions, noted as x1, x2, y1 and y2

The bending stress is calculated using equation:

𝑀𝑥𝑥
σ= x (E 3.5)
𝐼𝑦𝑦

𝑀𝑦𝑦
σ= y (E 3.6)
𝐼𝑥𝑥

Ixx and Iyy is the area moment of inertia of the surface while x and y are the distance
from centroid, depending on the point of interest. In this project, the inlet i, exit o and
the front blade b, sides are chosen.

3.7 Simulation of the Stress Concentration by ANSYS and Comparison of

Results between Manual Calculation and Computer Simulation

The stress analysis of the turbine blades will be conducted by using ANSYS. ANSYS
is a software that can develop a general-purpose finite element analysis and
computational fluid dynamics. By using ANSYS, results on how the stress affects the
turbine blade can be obtained. The types of stress that are acting towards the blades
also can be identified by ANSYS. The result will show the most vulnerable part of
the blade when there is high centrifugal load and high pressure difference acting
towards the blade. With the result, a better design of the turbine blade could be

21
achieved in the future. To achieve the result, the real operating condition will be
simulated in ANSYS.

3.7.1 Meshing in ANSYS

Meshing is the process of ‘sub-divide’ the three dimensional model into elements,
connected at nodes. The idea is to build a complicated object with simple blocks, or,
dividing a complicated object into small and manageable pieces. The finer the
element is, that is the smaller the element is, the more accurate the result will be.

Firstly, the three dimensional model is imported from CATIA so that the solid model
can be used in ANSYS. Then, material properties of X22CrMoV12.1 are specified
using the ‘Engineering Data’ option menu, as per Figure 3.10. Next the element is
chosen. In this case, the element Hexahedral Dominant method (Hex Dominant) with
size of 1mm, as per Figure 3.11 and Figure 3.12 is chosen for meshing purpose.
Depending on the model complexity, desired mesh quality and type, and how much
time a user is able to spend meshing, a user has a scalable solution to generate a
quick automatic hex or hex dominant mesh, or a highly controlled hex mesh for
optimal solution efficiency and accuracy.

Figure 3.10: Material properties Figure 3.11: Element types

22
 Figure 3.12: Element size, 1mm

3.7.2 Simulation of Stress by ANSYS

For this project, three simulations will be carried out. The simulations are the
centrifugal stress which is based on the rotation of the rotor, the steam bending stress
which is based on the steam forces, and the combination of centrifugal stress and
steam bending stress.

i) Centrifugal Stress
In ANSYS, the model will be fixed at the root face, and rotational velocity will
be applied. The location of the rotational velocity applied will be specifically the
center of the rotor. The rotational velocity will be calculated based on the
operating specification of the turbine.

ii) Steam Bending Stress

The simulation will be done by specifying the loads applied to the blade. The
loads is specific with its direction acting toward the tangential and the axial
direction.

iii) Combination of the centrifugal stress and steam bending stress

Once all the loads are identified, all the inputs including the centrifugal load and
steam bending load will be applied to the model in ANSYS.

When the results are obtained, the result will be compared to the solutions obtained
from the manual calculation method.

3.8 Gantt Chart

Please refer to the Appendices for the Gantt Charts of FYP 1 and FYP 2.

23
 CHAPTER 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

4.1 Result

4.1.1 Three Dimensional Model of the Turbine Blade

This model is based on the turbine blade of KKK AFA 4 Steam Turbine. The turbine
is located in Kg Gajah Palm Oil Mill and is opened for maintenance on 1st May 2010.
The rotor and turbine blade are measured to get its dimension for modeling in
CATIA.

Figure 4.1: General view of the turbine rotor

Figure 4.2: The dimension of the rotor as measured

24
Then, the dimension of the rotor blade is the taken using Vernier Calliper.

Figure 4.3: The top view of the rotor blade

Figure 4.4: The side view of the rotor blade

The dimension of the rotor blade is the taken using Vernier Calliper. The blade
profile dimension is given as below:

25
 Figure 4.5: The blade profile and its dimension in milimeter

Below are several dimensions of the blades:

Figure 4.6: Using CATIA to measure the inlet and exit steam relative velocity
vector, β1 and β2

26
The average height of the blade is 15.71mm. The measurement is taken three times
and the average is calculated. The height can be referred to Figure 4.4.

Height 1 15.51 mm
Height 2 15.80 mm
Height 3 15.82 mm
Average height 15.71 mm
Table 4.1: Height measurement for the blade

Though the nose and the tail of the blade are not aligned, but the thickness still can
be measured by taking the axial length of the rotor. The actual length is 20mm and
the measured is 19.9mm. We will be using the axial length as 19.9mm throughout
this study.

The CATIA model used in this project is as follows:

Figure 4.7: Isometric view Figure 4.8: Multi-view

27
 4.1.2 Manual Stress Calculation Acted on the Steam Turbine Blade

4.1.2.1 Calculation of the Centrifugal Stress

Outer radius of rotor, r2 0.2066m

Inner radius of the rotor, r1 0.19089m
Turbine output speed 1500 rpm
Gear ratio 8.21
Cross-section Area, Across-section 9.343 x 10-5 m2
Root Area, Ar 9.343 x 10-5 m2
Blade density, ρ 7700kg/m3

Table 4.2: The data required for the centrifugal force calculation

The rotational speed, is measured by having the output operating speed and the gear
ratio.

Rotational speed of pinion shaft = gear ratio x output speed

= 1500 x 8.21
= 12315rpm x 2π/60
= 1289.62 rad/s

r22 − r12
Fc = ρAcross-section𝜔2
2
(0.2066)2 –(0.19089)2 2
= (7700kg/m3) (9.343 x 10-5m2) (1289.62rad/s)2 m
2
= 3735.71 kg.m/s2
= 3735.71 N

The blade root area is the same with the cross-section area of the blade, which is
9.34x10-5m2

𝐹𝑐
𝜎𝑐 =
𝐴root

= 3735.71 / 9.34 x 10-5m2

= 39 984 037 N/m2
= 39.98 MPa

28
 4.1.2.2 Calculation of the Steam Bending Stress

Firstly, what is needed is the free body diagram.

Axial Force, Fa Tangential Force, Ft

(a) (b)
Figure 4.9: The orientation of the axial force (a) and the tangential force (b)

The free body diagram indicates that the axial force is acting on the axis of the shaft,
while the tangential force is acting perpendicular to the whirl direction. This figure
shows the direction of the steam which is very important in building the velocity
diagram. With the aid from Figure 4.6, the velocity diagram can be drawn.

Basically, velocity diagram is like this:

Figure 4.10: The general velocity diagram of inlet-exit steam velocity

where

Vb = Blade velocity
V1 & V2 = Inlet and exit steam velocity
Vr1 & Vr2 = Inlet and exit relative steam velocity
α&δ = Inlet and exit steam angles
β1 & β2 = Angles of inlet and exit steam relative velocity

29
To draw a velocity diagram, there is a need to specify the basis. The basis will be the
blade tangential velocity, which is obtained from equation Vb = ωr, where V is the
blade tangential velocity, ω is the rotational velocity and r is the length from the
center of rotor to the rotor’s tip.

Vb = ωr
= (1289.62 rad/s)(0.2066 m)
= 266.435 m/s

With the aid of CATIA, the velocity diagram will be drawn. Assuming the inlet
steam angle, α is 150, β1 is 35.7480 and β2 is 25.7140, the velocity diagram will be
like this:

Figure 4.11: The velocity diagram of the steam, which gives the inlet velocity and
relative inlet velocity

Problem arises as the exit velocity cannot be measured because of the insufficient
data. However, using velocity coefficient, or blade friction factor kb, the exit relative
velocity can be calculated. The velocity coefficient is a function of the total change
of direction of the steam in the blade, the blade width to radius ratio, and the relative
velocity and density at blade entrance. By using equation

kb = (0.892 – 6.00x10-5 Vr1)1/2

= [0.892 – 6.00x10-5 (194.656)]1/2
= 0.9383

Since

Vr2 = kb (Vr1)

30
 = 0.9383 (194.656)
= 182.656 m/s

Figure 4.12: The complete velocity diagram of the steam, built with the aid of
CATIA

From the velocity diagram obtained, the exit steam velocity is 129.064 m/s at angle δ
is 37.8820.

Then, the velocity diagram will be resolved into axial and tangential components.

V1
V2
δ
α
Figure 4.13: V1 and V2 will be resolved into axial and tangential velocities for the
calculation of the steam loadings

Rotor Rotor blade

Tangential Velocity, Vt

Axial Velocity, Va

Figure 4.14: Graphical presentation of the resolved V1 and V2

Based on equations 2.10 and 2.11, the equations can be resolved as the following:
31
V1t = V1 cos α = 439.388 cos (150) = 424.42 m/s
V2t = V2 cos δ = 129.064 cos (37.8820) = 101.87 m/s
.: ΔVt = V1 cos α - V2 cos δ = 322.55 m/s

V1a = V1 sin α = 439.388 sin (150) = 113.72 m/s

V2a = V2 sin δ = 129.064 sin (37.8820) = 79.25 m/s
.: ΔVa = V1 sin α - V2 sin δ = 34.47 m/s

Now, the loading will be

Ft = (ΔVt)
Fa = (ΔVa)

Mass flow rate, is obtained from the turbine’s operating manual. The mass flow
rate for a turbine blade is

= (27700 kg/h) (1h/3600s) / 97 blades

= (0.07932 kg/s) / blade

.: Ft = (ΔVt) = (0.07932 kg/s) (322.55 m/s) = 25.58 N

Fa = (ΔVa) = (0.07932 kg/s) (34.47 m/s) = 2.73 N

The moments due to the loadings will be

Mt = Ft (h) = 25.58 N (0.01571 m) = 0.4019 Nm

Ma = Fa (h) = 2.73 N (0.01571 m) = 0.04289 Nm

Having the moments, the actual bending moments in the cane, which the axis is
across the horns and perpendicular to a line across the horns, given θ is 10.590, are

Mxx = Mtcosθ + Ma.sinθ

= 0.4019 cos(10.590) + 0.04289 sin(10.590)
= 0.4029 Nm

Myy = Mt.sinθ + Ma.cosθ

= 0.4019 sin(10.590) + 0.04289 cos(10.590)
= 0.116 Nm

32
Up until this point, the challenge now is to find the area moment of inertia and also
the length of certain point on the turbine blade its centroid. To overcome this
problem, CATIA will be used to find the Ixx and Iyy.

Figure 4.15: The usage of CATIA to find the area moment of inertia, Ixx and Iyy

Figure 4.16: The usage of CATIA to measure the length of certain points from the
centroid
33
Ixx = 8.45 x 10-10 m4
Iyy = 1.894 x 10-9 m4

x1 = 9.398 mm
x2 = 5.769 mm
y1 = 11.562 mm
y2 = 8.683 mm

The bending stress at point i, which is at steam inlet:

𝑀𝑥𝑥 𝑀𝑦𝑦
σi = x1 + y2
𝐼𝑦𝑦 𝐼𝑥𝑥

0.4029 0.116
= (0.009398) + (0.0086833)
1.894 𝑥 10 −9 8.45 𝑥10 −10
= 3.19 MPa

𝑀𝑥𝑥 𝑀𝑦𝑦
σo = x1 + y1
𝐼𝑦𝑦 𝐼𝑥𝑥

0.4029 0.116
= (0.009398) + (0.011562)
1.894 𝑥 10 −9 8.45 𝑥10 −10
= 3.59 MPa

𝑀𝑥𝑥
σb = x2
𝐼𝑦𝑦

0.4029
= (0.005769)
1.894 𝑥 10 −9
= 1.23 MPa

4.1.3 Meshing of the Turbine Blade in ANSYS

As discussed in methodology section 3.7.1, the meshing is done in ANSYS. The

element chosen for the meshing is Hexahedral Dominant (Hex Dominant) with
element size is set to 1mm. Figure 4.17 shows the meshing of the turbine blade.

34
 Figure 4.17: Figure shows the meshing of the turbine blade using Hexahedral
Dominant method with element size of 1mm

4.1.4 Simulation of the Stress Using ANSYS

4.1.4.1 Centrifugal Stress

The first ANSYS simulation is the simulation of the centrifugal stress. The first thing
to do is to specify the coordinate system (CS) of the ANSYS. Local coordinate is set
as per figure 4.18, which is located at the centroid of the blade, but it is at the center
of the rotor. The coordinate is (0.007642, -0.000312, -0.19089) with respect to the
global CS.

The boundary condition is set to be at the lower part of the surface, which is its root
attached to the rotor. The rotational velocity is then set at the center of the rotor,
which is the origin y of the local CS.

35
Figure 4.18: Set the local CS Figure 4.19: Set rotational velocity

Figure 4.20: Set boundary condition

Figure 4.21: The boundary condition of the blade

36
 Figure 4.22: The general view of the result of simulation for centrifugal stress

Figure 4.23: Some of readings of the blades under centrifugal stress using probe
utility

37
Probes, from tip to root Stress around the trailing edge Stress around the middle
Point 1 3.5356 MPa 1.9146 MPa
Point 2 8.4804 MPa 8.4673 MPa
Point 3 13.8410 MPa 14.5180 MPa
Point 4 18.1090 MPa 21.6420 MPa
Point 5 21.2720 MPa 25.8280 MPa
Point 6 27.9250 MPa 29.0070 MPa
Point 7 34.2900 MPa 39.1120 MPa
Point 8 45.3910 MPa 54.5850 MPa
Table 4.3: The readings of the centrifugal stress around the turbine blade

4.1.4.2 Steam Bending Stress

Since the loading of tangential and axial forces are known, we can put the value of
forces into ANSYS. The boundary condition applied in this problem is the same with
the boundary condition in centrifugal stress simulation. The forces acted on the blade
are to be applied on the other three blade surfaces. The direction of the forces is
specified with respect to the local CS.

Figure 4.24: Set the loadings on the blade

38
 Figure 4.25: The direction of force

Figure 4.26: The general view of the result of simulation for steam bending stress

39
Figure 4.27: Some of readings of the blades under steam bending stress using probe
utility

Probes, from tip to root Stress around the trailing edge Stress around the middle
Point 1 1.2801 MPa 0.0902 MPa
Point 2 1.2310 MPa 0.0947 MPa
Point 3 1.2536 MPa 0.1144 MPa
Point 4 1.2800 MPa 0.1978 MPa
Point 5 1.3330 MPa 0.3689 MPa
Point 6 1.4688 MPa 0.5842 MPa
Point 7 1.6190 MPa 0.8059 MPa
Point 8 1.8019 MPa 1.0581 MPa
Table 4.4: The readings of the steam bending stress around the turbine blade

4.1.4.3 Combination of the centrifugal stress and steam bending stress

For the last simulation, the loadings, which are the centrifugal loading and the steam
force are combined to see the effect on the turbine blade. Both all the conditions
specified which are the boundary condition, rotational velocity and the force acted on
the specified direction is combined and simulation is run to check its result.

40
Figure 4.28: The general view of the result of simulation for the stresses
combination

Figure 4.29: Some of readings of the blades under stresses combination

using probe utility

41
Probes, from tip to root Stress around the trailing edge Stress around the middle
Point 1 1.7158 MPa 2.3799 MPa
Point 2 3.8453 MPa 6.1565 MPa
Point 3 8.2902 MPa 10.3740 MPa
Point 4 12.4420 MPa 14.8370 MPa
Point 5 15.8520 MPa 18.8010 MPa
Point 6 19.5450 MPa 22.3170 MPa
Point 7 24.0780 MPa 25.4550 MPa
Point 8 32.0050 MPa 27.7040 MPa
Table 4.5: The readings of the combination of stress around the turbine blade

4.2 Discussion

4.2.1 Three Dimensional Solid Model of the Turbine Blade

The turbine that is used in this project is KKK AFA 4 steam turbine. This turbine is
the single stage impulse turbine that is operating in Kg Gajah Mill, near Pasir Salak.
For the solid model, only one rotor blade is taken for the solid model in CATIA. The
material properties specified are based on the material used to fabricate the blade,
referring to its operating manual, which is X22CrMoV12.1. The blade shape is
modeled from the measurement of the blade itself, using Vernier caliper.

4.2.2 Manual Calculation of the Stresses

Since there are two specified stress, which are the centrifugal stress and the steam
bending stress, there are two different stress calculation procedures. Those
procedures require the input from the turbine’s operating data and also the material
properties of the blade itself. The operating input required are the mass flow rate,
velocity of steam get through the blade, and the gear ration and turbine output speed.
The material properties are such as the blade’s density, root and cross-sectional areas,
and area moment of inertia.

By just looking at the free body diagram, it is known that the biggest stress
concentration point is at the root of the blade. The root of the blade is located near
the attachment between the rotor and the blade.

42
 4.2.2.1 Centrifugal Stress

Centrifugal stress is the major stress that acted on a turbine blade. It is a single factor
that gives the loading the most loading. In the equation, the blade length and the
blade’s cross-sectional area are the control factor of the centrifugal loading. Speed of
rotation cannot be controlled as it depends on the amount of steam towards the
turbine.

Cross-sectional area is one of the control factors of centrifugal loading. If the blade is
tapered, the direct tensile stress diminishes, rapidly towards the blade tip, while the
bending stress will increase with the increase of radius. Also goes for the cross-
section area, the centrifugal load will not be reduced by the increase of section area
since increasing the section-area simply means a greater load carried on a
proportionately larger area, resulting in the same stress. Sufficient cross-section area
must be provided in the blade root to withstand the maximum force at the root. The
material used also must be capable to withstand the stress without failure.

4.2.2.2 Steam Bending Stress

Generally, the dominant force in steam turbine blade is the centrifugal force, however
at lower rotational speed, the force that gives impact to the turbine blade is the forces
from the steam flow. The impulse blade is subjected to bending stress from the
tangential force by the steam flow. In this project, the turbine blade is the one without
the lacing wire, so at certain points, for the ease of calculation, the blade can be
regarded as a cantilever beam of variable cross-section. The bending stress will
depend on the steam velocity, mass flow rate, the blade height and also the geometry
of the blades.

The bending stress is maximum at blade root. Proved by calculation, the bending
stress will increase by increasing the blade height. However, the bending stress
diminishes with increase in the radius if the blade is tapered

4.2.3 Simulation of the Stress by ANSYS and Comparison of Results

Based on the results, the stress obtained by ANSYS mostly around the calculated
values from the manual calculation. The results show that, for all cases, the stress are
huge at the root area, and diminishes with radius. ANSYS is able to measure the

43
maximum value of stress, which at the root of the blade. The stress measured by
ANSYS is doubled as much as the stress calculated manually.

The stress concentrates at the root in very small region. For the centrifugal stress, the
manual calculation gives reading of 39.98 MPa while ANSYS gives the maximum
reading of 93.282 MPa for the centrifugal stress. This value multiplies about 2.3
times the centrifugal stress calculated manually. Also for the steam bending stress,
the maximum reading given by ANSYS is 7.6078 MPa while the manually calculated
steam bending stress are around 3.1-3.6 MPa, which is also half of the maximum
value.

This can occur due to the existence of the sharp corner at the blade. The sharp
geometry acts as the stress concentrator, which amplifies the stress. The stress is
already concentrated but with the sharp edge around, the stress amplifies to a certain
value at certain point.

When compared to the manual calculation, the results from ANSYS mostly comply
with the result from hand calculation. Although there are certain regions detected by
ANSYS to have unmeasurable stress value, the stress is expected to be since it is
located near the stress concentrator region. With computational result, it is critically
important that the designer check for the validity of the results, either experimentally
or by using hand calculations. Also, the finite element stress analysis results must
also be evaluated by analytical solutions or if possible using hand calculation during
the post-solution checks for finite element stress analysis results.

With the stress calculated and the material properties provided, the material can
withhold the stress acted on it, if the operation is still within the operating condition.
The maximum stress at the blade obtained from this study is 100MPa while the
tensile stress for X22CrMoV12.1 is about 900MPa.

44
 CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Stress analysis is an important part in mechanical design and stress concentration is

one of the considerations that engineers need to take care of. Knowing the amount of
the concentrated stress can aid in a better design and prevent unwanted accidents due
to design failure.

Until now, the stress identified to be working on the steam turbine blade is
centrifugal stress and fluid pressure difference. Based on the geometry and the
operating data, the calculation can be proceeded.

Hand calculation is first done to obtain the stress. Catia is used to aid for the
dimension calculation. Then, using all the information that have, the stress is being
calculated.

Although the calculation has been done, there are a lot of rooms need to be improved.
Most of the calculation is based on the rough calculation. More accurate value can be
obtained in the future.

In the future, computer software will be used to aid the calculation of the stress. It
will involved the 3-dimensional calculation as it will be more useful for the analysis.

The objective of this project to analyse and calculate the stresses that acted on the
single-stage steam turbine blades have been achieved. Also, the simulation by
ANSYS for the problems to check the reliability of the result has been carried out. It
is hopefully that this project can be used as reference in the future for a better design
of the steam turbine.

45
 REFERENCES

[1] P K Nag 2001, Power Plant Engineering Second Edition, Tata McGraw-Hill
Publishing Company Limited

[2] William P. Sanders and P. Eng 2004, Turbine Steam Path Mechanical Design
and Manufacture Volume IIIb, USA, Penwell Corporation

[3] R.C. Hibbeler 2005, Mechanics of Materials Sixth Edition, Singapore,

Prentice Hall

[4] El-Hefny, A.M.S., Arafa, M., Ragab, A.R. and El-Raghy, S.M., Stress
Analysis of a Gas Turbine Rotor using Finite Element Modeling, Proceedings
of the Seventh International Conference on Production Engineering and
Design for Development (PEDD 7), Ain Shams University, February 7-9,
2006, Cairo, Egypt.

[5] Stress Evaluation of Low Pressure Steam Turbine Rotor Blade and Design of
Reduced Stress Blade. Available at:
http://www.uotiq.org/tec_magaz/volume262008/No2/Researches/6.pdf

[6] Stress Analysis of Impulse Turbine Blades. Available at:

http://e-book.lib.sjtu.edu.cn/isope2001/pdffiles/papers/088.pdf

[7] Force on Large Steam Turbine Blades. Available at:

http://www.raeng.org.uk/education/diploma/maths/pdf/exemplars_advanced/2
2_Blade_Forces.pdf

[8] David V. Hutton 2004, Fundamentals of Finite Element Analysis, USA,

McGraw-Hill

[9] ANSYS Meshing Features. Available at:

http://www.ansys.com/products/workbench/meshing/features.asp

[10] Heinz P. Bloch and Murari P.Singh 2009, Steam Turbines – Design,
Applications And Re-Rating, USA, McGraw-Hill

46
[12] Lecture Notes, Introduction to the Finite Element Method. Available at:
http://www.akademi.itu.edu.tr/kocabash/DosyaGetir/15979/Yijun%20Liu%2
0-%20nummeth_20040121_fem.pdf

[13] Turbine Design. Available at:

www.me.gatech.edu/me4315/steamturbine/TURBINE%20DESIGN.doc

47
 APPENDICES

Appendix A Gantt Chart for Final Year Project (FYP) I

Appendix B Gantt Chart for Final Year Project (FYP) II

48
Appendix A

Gantt Chart for Final Year Project (FYP) I

No. Activities / Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

1 Selection of project topic M
I
2 Preliminary Research Work D
# identifying software and tools required S
# research on books and journals related to project topic E
M
3 Familiarization with steam turbine blades and research on the
stress that will be acted on steam turbine blades

4 Seminar B
R
5 Familiarization with CATIA E
A
6 Continue with project work K
# collect required data
# solid modeling using CATIA
# study on the manual calculation of stresses acted on the
turbine blades

7 Submission of Interim Report Final Draft

8 Oral Presentation During Study Week

1
Appendix B

Gantt Chart for Final Year Project (FYP) II

No. Activities / Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

1 Familiarization of ANSYS and solid modeling using CATIA M
I
2 Understanding Manual calculation of stress in the turbine D
blade S
E
3 Calculation of Centrifugal stress and Fluid Pressure M
Difference

4 Seminar
B
5 Simulation by ANSYS and Model Variations R
E
6 Comparison between the results of the simulation in ANSYS A
and manual calculation K

7 Oral Presentation

8 Submission of Dissertation (Hard Bound) After Oral Presentation