Elastic stress analysis of non-linear variable thickness rotating disks subjected to thermal load and having variable density along the radius

An analytical procedure for evaluation of elastic stresses and strains in non-linear variable thickness rotating disks, either solid or annular, subjected to thermal load, and having a fictitious density variation along the radius is presented. Thickness variation of disks is described by means of a power of linear function, which can be used to describe a fourfold infinity of actual disk profiles. The procedure is based on two independent integrals of the hypergeometric differential equation describing the displacement field; this theoretical procedure is just general and does not present limitations and drawbacks of the approaches as the one found in technical literature. General unpublished relations of stress state and displacement field in non-linear variable thickness disks subjected, under elastic conditions, to thermal gradient, and featuring a density variation along the radius are defined. Particular consideration is given to some industrial example of turbine rotors carrying hub and rim with buckets on periphery or radial blades on lateral surfaces. The analytical results obtained by using the new general relations perfectly match those obtained by FEA and overlap those concerning the special cases of tapered conical disks found in literature.