Open Access

ARTICLE

Finite Element Analysis of Resonance Frequencies for Impellers of Centrifugal Compressors Made of Metal Matrix Composites

Gennadiy Lvov¹, Maria Tănase^2,*

1 Department of Mathematical Modeling and Intelligent Computing in Engineering, NTU Kharkov Polytechnic Institute, Kharkov, Ukraine
2 Mechanical Engineering Department, Petroleum-Gas University of Ploieşti, Ploiesti, Romania

* Corresponding Author: Maria Tănase. Email:

Computers, Materials & Continua 2026, 89(1), 14 https://doi.org/10.32604/cmc.2026.084754

Received 28 April 2026; Accepted 18 June 2026; Issue published 13 August 2026

Abstract

Vibrations occurring in the impellers of centrifugal compressors are among the primary factors that influence the reliability and service life of main gas pumping station units. A promising approach to improving the dynamic performance of centrifugal compressors is the use of modern metal-matrix composite materials for impellers. This article presents a prediction of the dynamic behavior of an impeller under actual operating conditions with the aim of eliminating resonance vibrations. Detailed geometric and finite-element modeling enabled an investigation of the prestressed state caused by centrifugal forces on the natural frequency spectrum of the impeller. To investigate the influence of the material’s physical properties, calculations were performed for boron-aluminum composites with varying boron carbide particle content. For boron-aluminum impellers, the effect of centrifugal forces on the natural frequencies did not exceed 2%–3%. However, increasing the boron carbide content from 1.5% to 7.5% results in an increase in the first 10 natural frequencies of up to 6.8%. Campbell diagrams were constructed for the fundamental and harmonic frequencies of the disturbing forces, taking into account the interaction of the blades of the compressor’s stator and rotor components.

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Keywords

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