###### Abstract  
Vibrations are usually induced in aero engines under their normal operating conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to predict the critical frequencies of the rotating components carefully. Blade deformation of a jet engine under its normal operating conditions due to fatigue or bird strike is a realistic possibility. This puts the deformed blade as one of the major safety concerns in commercially operating civil aviation. A bird strike introduces unbalanced forces and non-linearities into the engine rotor system. Such dynamic behavior is a primary cause of catastrophic failures. The introduction of unbalanced forces due to a deformed blade, as a result of a bird strike, can change the critical frequency behavior of engine rotor systems. Therefore, it is necessary to predict their critical frequencies and dynamic behavior carefully. The simplified approach of the one-dimensional and two-dimensional elements can be used to predict critical frequencies and critical mode shapes in many cases, but the use of three-dimensional elements is the best method to achieve the goals of a modal analysis. This research explores the effect of a bird strike on the critical frequencies of an engine rotor. The changes in critical mode shapes and critical frequencies as a result of a bird strike on an engine blade are studied in this research. Commercially available analysis software ANSYS version 18.2 is used in this study. In order to account for the material nonlinearities, a Johnson Cook material model is used for the fan blades and an isotropic-elastic-plastic-hydrodynamic material model is used for modeling the bird. The bird strike event is analyzed using Eularian and smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) techniques. A difference of 0.1% is noted in the results of both techniques. In the modal analysis simulation of the engine rotor before and after the bird strike event, the critical failure modes remain same. However, a change in the critical frequencies of the modes is observed. An increase in the critical frequencies and excitation RPMs (revolution per minute) of each mode are observed. As the mode order is increased, the higher the rise in critical frequency and excitation RPMs. Also, a change in the whirl direction of the different modes is noted. critical frequency response; bird strike; blade-off condition; FEA +
Footnote †: journal: Applied Soft  
a concentrated mass with a specific moment of inertia. However, the beam theory approach is based on the fact that deformations in the discs or blades are ignored, and the shaft is also assumed to be a slender body. This may provide accurate results, but in order to address deficiencies, higher order elements should be used [1]. The simplified approach of the one-dimensional and two-dimensional elements can be used in many cases, but the use of three-dimensional elements is the best method to achieve the goals of a dynamic analysis. One of the advantages of using three-dimensional elements is to directly develop a finite element model of the rotating component rather using any other mathematical approximation. Another advantage of using a 3D element is that the gyroscopic effects of a rotating system can also be studied [2]. The blade deformation of a turbo jet or turbo fan under normal operating conditions, due to fatigue or bird strike, is a realistic possibility. This puts the blade-off condition as one of the major safety concerns in commercially operating civil aviation [3]. As per the records of the International Bird Strike Committee, 55 fatal accidents have been reported, 108 damaged aircraft, and 277 lives have been lost due to bird strike events. The bird strike on an engine blade also introduces an unbalanced rotating force that can affect the excitation revolutions of the critical frequencies of an engine rotor [4]. The deformed blade of a jet engine as a result of a bird strike event introduces non-linearities in the critical frequency behavior of the system.