Vibration analysis for failure detection in low pressure steam turbine blades in nuclear power plant

Stress distribution of the blade at the 9th harmonic frequency is analyzed using an elastic-plastic finite element model. Fretting fatigue experiments indicate that the fatigue life of the blade is greatly reduced due to fretting wear. The results of the investigation show that the failure of the blade is attributed to a combination of high cycle fatigue (HCF) and fretting wear.