Sensitivity of combustion driven damage mechanisms to instability

A multi-disciplinary framework is developed to evaluate the damage on gas turbine engine liners including interrelated sub-domains such as combustion dynamics, stress, modal, fracture mechanics analyses and life assessment. Comparative operation conditions for the combustion dynamics have been investigated. Excessive vibrations induced by the limit cycle operation resulted in mechanical stresses and strains on the structure. The structural integrity of both the intact and damaged test specimens have been monitored by vibration-based and thermal-based techniques during the combustion operation. The progressive damage on the damaged specimen configuration has been analyzed and linked to the combustion driven mechanisms. Damage evaluation, life assessment and physical experimental approaches have been integrated and utilized to evaluate the fatigue dominant damage in combustion liner material. This study addresses a reference in ensuring the safety and reliability of gas turbine engine combustors. The outcome provides a better understanding and a quantification of the material damage progress and the component behavior in terms of life consumption and combustion dynamics.