Rolls-Royce Corporation

Michael Frederick Bryant

Garry Mark Edwards

Ian Richard Gower

A rotor stage () of a gas turbine engine () comprises a platform () from which rotor blades extend. The platform is provided with a circumferentially extending damper ring (), the damper ring having an engagement surface () that engages with a platform engagement surface () of the platform (). In use, the damper engagement surface () and the platform engagement surface () move relative to each other in a radial direction, in response to diametral mode excitation. This causes friction between the two surfaces, thereby dissipating energy and damping the excitation. The rotor stage () is arranged such that the engagement load between the damper engagement surface () and the platform engagement surface () is a function of the rotational speed of the rotor stage ().

Rotor damper

The present invention provides processes by which fatigue testing can be carried out by altering the vibrational characteristics of a component, but without physically altering the component itself. In particular the invention provides a method of performing high-cycle fatigue testing on a component, the method including the steps of: attaching one or more masses to the component to alter the stress distribution of the component under vibration; and carrying out high-cycle fatigue testing by exciting the component at a low fundamental frequency of the component. The component can then be tested at a low frequency, which is easier to excite, but fail in a position of the component characteristic of a more complex modeshape.

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Bristol, United Kingdom

Michael Frederick Bryant