Linear Forced Response of Cyclic-Symmetric Aeronautical Components: A Tool Comparison

This thesis, developed in collaboration with Avio Aero, investigates the fidelity of structural dynamics simulations by focusing on a simplified “dummy” bladed-disk model and comparing theoretical solutions with results from ANSYS Mechanical APDL and the corporate tool @Forced. We conducted modal analysis and a brand-new linear forced response with cyclic symmetry capability in ANSYS to evaluate accuracy against theoretical references. The numerical model was constructed to ensure consistent geometry, material properties, boundary conditions, meshing strategy, and solver settings, isolating differences attributable to element formulations and algorithmic implementations. Validation includes mesh-convergence and solver-sensitivity studies across mode shapes, natural frequencies, damping assumptions, and frequency response functions. Results show close agreement with theory for the bladed-disk dummy model using ANSYS’s new linear forced response feature. Based on these findings, we demonstrate that ANSYS delivers more accurate and globally recognized results, enabling substitution of prior @Forced-based workflows with the ANSYS approach for this class of analyses. The thesis provides a practical framework for model setup and tool selection. These outcomes improved simulation governance and confidence in digital validation for rotating-component dynamics.