Numerical study on the passive control of the aeroelastic response in large axial fans

The morphing geometry concept finds interesting applications in load reduction and performance increasing for wings and rotor blades in off-design conditions. Here we report a numerical study on the effect that a passive morphing system (made by an elastic-low stiffness surface) has on the sectional load and flowfield, when it is applied to the trailing edge of an axial fan. We obtain the results extracting the section of the fan blade and test it in the 2D cascade, with and without the elastic device, in different operating conditions. Keeping in mind the two-dimensional approximation, it will be possible to observe how the tested device could reduce the load in off-design and high angle of attack conditions, while the same solution could introduce vibrations in design conditions. All the simulations imply the solution of the fluid-structure interaction between the incompressible, turbulent flow and the elastic structure. This solution is obtained using a finite element based, strongly coupled solver, applied to the periodic 2D domain of the section in the cascade.