Structural Tailoring of Engine Blades (STAEBL, Glenn, 1985)

This computer program "was developed to perform engine fan blade numerical optimizations. These blade optimizations seek a minimum weight or cost design that satisfies realistic blade design constraints, by tuning one to twenty design variables. The STAEBL system has been gen­eralized to include both fan and compressor blade numerical optimiza­tions. The system analyses have been significantly improved through the inclusion of an efficient plate finite element analysis for blade stress and frequency determinations. Additionally, a finite element based approx­imate severe foreign object damage (FOD) analysis has been included. The new FOD analysis gives very accurate estimates of the full nonlinear

bird ingestion solution. Optimizations of fan and compressor blades have been performed using the system, showing significant cost and weight reductions, while comparing very favorably with refined design validation procedures.”[981]