Stator Blade Laser Window Research

All turbofan engines used in modern aviation contain a series of fan blades and compressor blades which are all connected to one drive shaft. Inside the jet engine between each set of blades are stator blades, which are pitched opposite of the fan and compressor blades, the stator blades are both rotational and axial fixed in place. The project that I was assigned to involves the QAT 22 fan test rig; which is currently under final design review and very soon will be fabricated. The purpose of this research facility is to better understand the effects of stator blades. Stator blades are used to straiten the air in a turbine. The researcher's primary aim is to determine what the airflow is like at both the leading edge and the trailing edge of a stator blade. My work focused on designing the windows usable for both a compressor rig and a test fan rig. The difference between the two is the test fan application will be looking into a stator blade array rather than just looking at the rotor. My discussion will include a detailed explanation of how the PIV laser window system functions fiom start to finish. I will also discuss how the information is gathered and organized. Further more I plan to talk about the purpose of this kind of research and the advantages to using this technology to determine the airflow characteristics of blade designs. Finally I will discuss the researcher s conclusion on the relationship between aerodynamics of a blade and how noise is produced. NASA's main goal with this particular facility is find ways to quiet engine noise by reducing the amount of cavitations that occurs around the blades of a turbofan engine. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.