The Effect of Dimensional Restoration Undercut Size and Location In

Relation to A Fillet On a Turbine Shaft

by
Steven Dallas Townes Jr.
A Project Submitted to the Graduate
Faculty of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the degree of
Master of Engineering
Major Subject: Mechanical Engineering






Approved:

_________________________________________
Ernesto Gutierrez-Miravete, Thesis Adviser





Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, New York
December, 2009





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Copyright 2009
by
Steven Townes
All Rights Reserved

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CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................ iv
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... v
ACKNOWLEDGMENT................................................................................................... vi
ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................vii


iv
LIST OF TABLES


v
LIST OF FIGURES


vi
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Type the text of your acknowledgment here.

vii
ABSTRACT
Type the text of your abstract here.

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1. Introduction
The repair of turbine engine components is a growing, competitive, high dollar, industry.
With the high cost of engines and components, there is large incentive for operators to
save money by repairing damaged hardware as opposed to replacing it. Industry focus
on engine overhaul and repair has been even further magnified in recent times as aircraft
operators have been further monetarily constricted with high energy costs and a
declining global economy.
Dimensional restoration is a common repair technique used to restore worn
surfaces on turbine engine components. These repairs are often performed wear surfaces
where tight interference fits cause parts to wear during, assembly and disassembly.
Dimensional restoration repairs are also performed on surfaces where the parts wear in
service from vibration.
The turbine engine shaft is critical component to turbine engine design. The
backbone of the engine, it is upon this shaft which all rotational components are
mounted via snap diameters. (Figure 1) Due to its high expense, the repair of this shaft
is very desirable by customers both military and commercial. The shafts varying
diametric geometry provides a variety of stress concentrations along the shafts length.
When dimensional restoration repairs are designed, they must be done so as to not
increase any existing stresses to dangerous levels.



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Figure 1. A cut away of a turbine engine showing hubs press fit onto the turbine
shaft. The removal of these hubs during engine overhaul can leave distress on the
part requiring dimensional restoration.

To complete a dimensional restoration repair, distressed surface is first pre-
machined away, leaving a smooth clean surface. If necessary, the surface is prepped
using they appropriate process, often grit blasting, and then a dimensional restoration
coating is applied to restore the dimension. Popular dimensional restoration coatings
include plasma spray, high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) coating and plating. If required,
the coating will be finished machined to the appropriate size and surface finish.
The dimensionally inspected coatings are usually applied with a coating thickness
varying from .001 to .050 inch. These coatings also are very weak and brittle when
compared to the base metals upon which they are sprayed. For these reasons, the
coatings are not given credit for structural integrity, and the pre-machined geometries are
analyzed to see the magnitude by which part strength and life were affected by the
repair. The size and depth of the undercut is determined by the parts OEM geometry,
and the restrictions on the dimensional restoration coatings thickness.
While part repair through dimensional restoration is able to correct part dimensions,
it unfortunately has detrimental effects on a parts robustness and thus service life.
Dimensional restoration coatings are usually applied to a surface with a coating

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thickness varying from .003 to .050 inch. (Figure 2) Between the coatings being
extremely thin, and the coatings also being brittle in nature, the coating is never given
any credit for structural integrity. Therefore, when a dimensional restoration repair is
being designed, the pre-machined part geometry must be analyzed to ensure that it is
capable of withstanding stresses the part will see in service. The size and depth of the
undercut is determined by the parts OEM geometry, and the restrictions on the
dimensional restoration coatings thickness.

Figure 2. An illustration showing a piece of geometry before, and then after a
dimensional restoration coating has been applied. The machined substrate now
contains two fillets, complicating stress analysis.

The existence of pre-existing stress concentrating features further complicates
dimensional restoration repair design. The resultant stress concentration from the
undercuts made close to existing stress risers can be unpredictable. The purpose of this
project is to study the effects of an dimensional restoration undercut when located next
to a pre-existing fillet, specifically on a stepped shaft. By understanding how stress
concentration changes relative to undercut location, one can better design dimensional
restoration repairs to maximize part life.



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2. Background
A turbine engine shaft transfers torque created by the engines the turbine to the engines
compressor. In this process, the turbine shaft incurs rotational shear loads, bending
loads and a thermal gradient. These considerations must be taken into consideration not
only when designing the shaft, but also when repairing it. The repair of snap diameters
on the shaft must be done so as to not increase stress concentrations to levels where
cracks could initiate leading to shaft failure. This project will study the effect of
undercut size and location on turbine shaft stress, particularly in the form of tension.

Figure 3. A GE J85 turbine engine cut away so internals are visible. The shaft can
be clearly seen.

It is first important to understand how a snap diameter with a on a turbine shaft is
designed. Figure 4 illustrates the design concept. The surface area where one piece
mates with another during an interference fit is known as the land area. At the end of the
land area, a vertical surface is used as a stop to axially locate the mating component.
The transition from the horizontal portion of the shaft to the vertical shaft contains a
fillet, and the mating hub is designed with a chamfer which clears the fillet when the hub
is full engaged.

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Figure 4. The hub fits onto the shaft via an interference fit. The chamfer of the
hub is designed to clear the fillet on the shaft. The blue line denotes the hubs land
area.

Snap diameters of this design are very common on turbine shafts. Since there are
often multiple compressor and turbine stages, multiple snap diameters are used axially
along the shaft to accompany them and their supporting hardware. When the engine is
disassembled for overhaul, these hubs and other accessories are pulled and can leave
scoring behind. If the scoring from the hub removal is beyond a prescribed depth,
known as a serviceable limit, the diameter must be repaired. Deep scoring in the turbine
shaft is detrimental to part life as scoring marks can serve as crack initiation points.
A turbine shaft with containing snap diameters is essentially a stepped shaft and this
geometry is relatively well understood in the field of structures. It is understood that
the fillets on a stepped shaft is a geometry which leads to stress concentrations. Hand
calculations exist which can calculate this stress.
When the shaft is pre-machined for repair, the repair to be repaired is undercut.
This undercut is made close to the existing fillet so that the land area can be restored in
its entirety. (Figure 5) Sometimes the undercut may be created inside of the existing
fillet. Since the coating is given no credit for structural integrity, the size and shape of
this undercut will determine the resultant stress concentration.

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Figure 5. A snap diameter pre-and post pre-machining operations.

What can not be easily calculated with hand calculations is the resultant stress from
compound fillets. An undercut created in close proximity to an existing fillet may create
a compound K
t
weakening the part. In other cases, may notch strengthening may occur.
While in service the shaft experiences many different types of loading and stress,
this project will focus on how the shaft responds to tensile stress both before and after
repair. A stepped shaft will be modeled, and undercuts will be applied at various axial
locations along the shaft. Not only will location be a variable, but size of the fillet as
well. A tensile load will then be applied, and the Kt calculated using FEA software.
These results will be compared to hand calculations to gain an understanding of the true
effect of undercutting a turbine shaft on the stress experienced.