| dc.description.abstract | With blading problems accounting for as many as 42 percent of
the failures in gas turbines (Allianz, 1 978) and with its severe
effect on plant availability, there is a pressing need for a unified
treatment of the causes, failure modes, and troubleshooting to
assist plant engineers in tackling blade failure problems. This paper
provides a comprehensive practical treatment of the subject, taking
into account the complex nature of blading problems, influence of
the operating environment, design factors, and maintenance
practices. Blade failure modes such as fatigue, environmental
attack, creep, erosion, and embrittlement are addressed along with
a synopsis of design tools to review blade reliability. Peripheral
issues affecting blade integrity such as fuel and blade quality
control are addressed. A blade failure troubleshooting chart is
furnished to assist users in diagnosing common failure modes. The
object of this paper is to show, in the context of blading problems,
the interrelationship between design, operation, maintenance, and
the operational envelope. Several case studies are presented
dealing with a variety of failure modes. The treatment focuses on
practical troubleshooting of blading problems augmented, in some
cases, by the use of analytical tools. APPENDIX A provides
applicable tools, rules of thumb, and formulae that can be used by
gas turbine users for design review and troubleshooting. | en |
