Profile error calculation for gas turbine blade based on subdivision approach algorithm and particle swarm optimization

The key problem of calculating profile error for a gas turbine blade is discussed, and the non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) surface theory is adopted to describe the gas turbine blade. The profile error of the gas turbine blade is defined, and its mathematic model is established. The subdivision approach algorithm is used to calculate the minimum distance between the point and the surface so that the speed of data processing can be enhanced. The combination of the subdivision approach algorithm and the particle swarm optimization is employed to realize the optimum fitting between measurement points and the complex surface and then obtain the profile error of the blade with global optimization. This data processing method is in accordance with the least condition principle, and it can be applied to three-coordinate measuring machines.