This paper describes the design of realistic blade shapes using an inverse method. Special attention is given to the geometrical and mechanical constraints imposed upon the blade.
Examples presented in this paper illustrate how a better understanding of the theoretical relations between imposed velocity and resulting geometry can help satisfy the geometrical restrictions. Another method using a numerical procedure for finding a compromise between the target velocity distribution and geometrical restrictions is also proposed and illustrated by an example.
A blade design procedure using an inviscid inverse method and a boundary layer calculation method is described and applied to the design of a shock free transonic compressor cascade. The iterative character of the procedure provides a blade shape control good enough to design sufficiently thick blades resulting in realistic geometries. The blade shape coordinates are given as a possible bench mark for inviscid or viscous two-dimensional methods.
