Research on Flow Field Calibration Method and Accuracy Improvement for the Aerodynamic Performance Test Rig of Aircraft Engine Compressors

Abstract

The aerodynamic performance test rig for aircraft engine compressors serves as a core ground test facility for conducting aerodynamic design verification, performance evaluation, stability analysis, and flow mechanism research on compressors. The accuracy of its flow field measurement results directly determines the reliability of key conclusions, such as compressor characteristic curves, adiabatic efficiency, stability boundaries, and interstage matching relationships. In the context of developing a new generation of compressors with high load, high efficiency, and wide stability margins, traditional methods relying on empirical debugging and local calibration struggle to meet the requirements for high-precision aerodynamic testing. This paper takes an axial-flow compressor aerodynamic performance test rig as the research object, systematically elaborates on the typical process and mainstream methods of flow field calibration, analyzes the primary sources of error affecting measurement accuracy, and proposes an integrated strategy for improving accuracy from aspects such as probe calibration, flow rate calibration, flow field uniformity correction, installation and environmental compensation, and traceability of measurements. Furthermore, it provides a comparative analysis of calibration effects based on engineering test data. The research results indicate that through systematic flow field calibration and multi-dimensional error correction, the uncertainty in flow rate measurement can be reduced to better than ± 0.3%, with significant improvements in the measurement accuracy of total pressure and flow angle. The flow field non-uniformity is controlled within 3%, providing reliable data support for ground testing of high-performance compressors.