Surrogate modeling of the fan plot of a rotor system considering composite blades using convolutional neural networks with image composition

This study proposes an image composition technique based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to construct a surrogate model for predicting fan plots of three-dimensional (3D) composite blades, which represent natural frequency lists at different rotational speeds. The proposed method composes critical 2D cross-section images to improve the accuracy of the model. Numerical examples with various compositions of cross-section images are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the CNN model. Additionally, gradient-weighted class activation mapping analysis is used to reveal the relationship between the internal structure of the blade and the fan plots. The study shows that using multiple images in the image composition technique improves the accuracy of the model compared to using single or fewer images. Overall, the proposed method provides a promising approach for predicting fan plots of 3D composite blades using CNN models.Graphical Abstract