Assessment of Mechanical Design Parameters for an Aero Gas Turbine Engine Jet Pipe Casing using Finite Element Analysis

Aero Gas Turbine engines power aircrafts for civil transport application as well as for military fighter jets. Jet pipe casing assembly is one of the critical components of such an Aero Gas Turbine engine. The objective of the casing is to carry out the required aerodynamic performance with a simultaneous structural performance. The Jet pipe casing assembly located in the rear end of the engine would, in case of fighter jet, consist of an After Burner also called as reheater which is used for thrust augmentation to meet the critical additional thrust requirement as demanded by the combat environment in the war field. The combustion volume for the After burner operation together with the aerodynamic conditions in terms of pressure, temperature and optimum air velocity is provided by the Jet pipe casing. While meeting the aerodynamic requirements, the casing is also expected to meet the structural requirements. The casing carries a Convergent-Divergent Nozzle in the downstream side (at the rear end) and in the upstream side the casing is attached with a rear mount ring which is an interface between engine and the airframe. The mechanical design parameters involving Strength reserve factors, Fatigue Life, Natural Frequencies along with buckling strength margins are assessed while the Jet pipe casing delivers the aerodynamic outputs during the engine operation. A three dimensional non linear Finite Element analysis of the Jet pipe casing assembly is carried out, considering the up & down stream aerodynamics together with the mechanical boundary conditions in order to assess the Mechanical design parameters.