Transient structural analysis with proper generalized decomposition

Abstract The design of high-temperature rotating machinery, such as aero engines and gas turbines, requires precise stress evaluation under transient conditions to ensure structural reliability. Despite advances in computational techniques, transient structural analysis remains computationally intensive, posing challenges to efficient design workflows. In this study, based on the theory of Proper Generalized Decomposition (PGD), we propose an advanced Model Order Reduction (MOR) method that addresses these challenges in computational mechanics by decomposing the displacement field into spatial and temporal modes while accounting for thermal strain. Applying PGD achieves high accuracy and significantly reducing computational cost. Numerical experiments on industrial-scale applications, including a turbine vane case study subjected to transient thermal loading, demonstrate that the transient analysis converges with only six spatial and temporal modes. The PGD analysis software developed in-house reduced the computation time to approximately one-fourth compared to our in-house FEM software. Moreover, the analysis error was deemed sufficiently small for engineering purposes. These results demonstrate the capability of PGD in accelerating the design development process in computer-aided engineering applications.