Unsteady casewall pressure measurements in a transonic compressor during steam induced stall

Abstract

During launch of aircraft off of a carrier deck, steam leakage is sometimes ingested into the aircraft's engine and may cause a compressor stall or 'pop-stall'. As the US Navy prepares to field the single engine F-35C Joint Strike Fighter, it becomes necessary to investigate the phenomenon known as 'pop-stall'. In the present study, steady-state as well as transient measurements prior to and during a steam induced rotating stall were taken. Changes to the honeycomb altered the performance characteristics of the Transonic Compressor Rig and needed to be remapped in order to determine a new stall line as well as a peak performance criterion. Data was taken at 90 percent design speed as well as during a 70 percent steam induced stall with the aide of 9 Kulites at varying positions along the case wall. Data was reduced and analyzed through the use of a data acquisition and data reduction system.