Modal analysis of a multi-blade system undergoing rotational motion

A modeling method for the modal analysis of a multi-blade system undergoing rotational motion is presented in this paper. Blades are assumed as cantilever beams and the coupling stiffness which originates from the shroud flexibility is considered for the modeling. To obtain general conclusions from the numerical results, the equations of motion are transformed into a dimensionless form. Dimensionless parameters related to the angular speed, the hub radius, and the coupling stiffness are identified and the effects of the parameters on the modal characteristics of the system are investigated. It is shown that the coupling stiffness especially plays an important role to change the modal characteristics of the system. The range of critical angular speed is also obtained through the numerical analysis