RubSys: Turbomachinery Rub System Development

There is an ongoing industry challenge to continuously improve gas turbine engine efficiency, decrease fuel consumption, and reduce emissions. Addressing these concerns involves developing advanced architectures, airfoil features, and innovative materials to improve performance, with a key focus on abradable coatings. These coatings play a crucial role in improving turbomachinery performance by acting as a protective barrier between rotating blades and stationary casing. However, the aerospace industry faces a critical challenge in developing and evaluating more efficient abradable materials to meet increasing energy requirements and gas turbine service life. The most effective methodology for evaluating the abradability of such systems relies on high-speed abradable rigs that mimic the rubbing phenomena in engine-like conditions, replicating the blade/abradable interaction. Thus, this project specifically aims to enhance the existing compressor test rig, concentrating on both hardware and software development and rig validation for abradability assessment. Those objectives will provide a controlled environment to analyze blade-to-case rubbing scenarios, mainly focusing on its interaction. To achieve these goals, the internship will involve a comprehensive review of current hardware and software, addressing adaptation challenges through collaborative efforts between Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) and Concordia University, and validating results by benchmarking against standard materials.

Faculty Supervisor:

Pantcho Stoyanov

Student:

Partner:

Pratt & Whitney Canada

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing; Mining; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Concordia University

Program: