MODAL TEST EXPERIENCES WITH A JET ENGINE FAN MODEL

High cycle fatigue in jet engine blades is caused by excessive vibration. Understanding the dynamic response of the bladed disk system is important in determining vibration levels. Modal testing is a useful tool in understanding the dynamic behavior of structures. However, modal tests are not conducted on bladed disks because of the difficulties involved. One problem is that the overall dynamic behavior is sensitive to small perturbations. Another problem is that multiple inputs and high-resolution techniques are required to separate modes that are nearly repeated. Two studies of engine blade response were recently completed in which bench modal tests were successfully performed on simplified fan models. The modal test procedures for the first study were successful in extracting the modal parameters. But the tests in the second study were more demanding. Ultimately, an approach was devised that accurately extracted the modal parameters. This paper describes the challenges and the evolution of the test procedures.