COMPRESSOR CONSTRUCTION

Centrifugal - flow compressors are usually made of titanium. The diffuser is generally manufactured of a stainless steel alloy.
A close fit is important between the compressor and its case to obtain maximum compressor efficiency. Correct rotor
assembly balancing is essential for safe operation because of the high rpm. Balancing the rotor can be accomplished by
removing metal from specified areas of the compressor or by using balancing weights installed in holes in the hub of the
compressor. On some engines where the compressor and turbine wheel are balanced as a unit, special bolts and nuts having
slight variations in weight are used.
Axial-flow compressors are constructed of many different materials, depending upon the load and temperature under which
the unit must operate. The rotor blades are generally cast of stainless-steel alloy. Some manufacturers use mdybdenum
coated titanium blades to dampen vibrations on some stages of rotor blades. The clearance between the rotor blades and the
outer case is most important. Some companies coat the inner surface of the compressor case with a soft material that can be
worn away by the blades as they expand because of the heat generated from compressing the air. This type of compressor
uses the "wear-fit" method to form its own clearance between the compressor case and the rotor blade tip.
Methods of attaching the blade to the disk or hub vary between manufacturers, with the majority using some variation of the
dove-tail method to hold the rotor blades to the disk. Various other methods are used to anchor the blades in place. Some
blades do not have a tight fit in the disk, but rather are seated by centrifugal force during engine operation. By allowing the
blades to move, vibrational stress is reduced during start and shutdown. Stator vanes, shown in figure 1.16, can be either
solid or hollow construction, and are connected together at their tips by a shroud. This shrouding serves two purposes. First,
it provides support, and second, it provides the necessary air seal between rotating and stationary parts. Most manufacturers
use the split compressor cases, while some others favor a weldment, forming a continuous case. The advantages of the split
case lie in the fact that the compressor and stator blades are readily available to inspection. The one-piece case offers
simplicity and strength because it is one piece; in most instances, it is a principal structural part of the engine and is usually
made of cast aluminum, magnesium, or steel. Figures 1.16 and 1.17 show shrouded compressor stators in both the split case
and the one-piece case.

Compressor stall. Gas turbine engines are designed to avoid the pressure conditions that allow engine surge to develop, but
the possibility of surge still exists in engines that are improperly adjusted or have been abused. Engine surge occurs any time
the combustion chamber pressure exceeds that in the diffuser, and it is identified by a popping sound which is issued from
the inlet. Because there is more than one cause for surge, the resultant sound can range from a single carburetor backfire
pop to a machinegun sound.
Engine surge is caused by a stall on the airfoil surfaces of the rotating blades or stationary vanes of the compressor. The stall
can occur on individual blades or vanes or, simultaneously, on groups of them. To understand how this can induce engine
surge, the causes and effects of stall on any airfoil must be examined.
All airfoils are designed to provide lift by producing a lower pressure on the convex (suction) side of the airfoil than on the
concave (pressure) side. A characteristic of any airfoil is that lift increases with an increasing angle of attack, but only up to a
critical angle. Beyond this critical angle of attack, lift falls off rapidly. This is due largely to the separation of the airflow from
the suction surface of the airfoil, as shown in the sketch. This phenomenon is known as stall. All pilots are familiar with this
condition and its consequences as it applies to the wing of an aircraft. The stall that takes place on the fixed or rotating
blades of a compressor is the same as the stalling phenomenon of an aircraft wing.