Distortion factor

The distortion factor is a measure from aircraft technology . It describes the pressure curve on the face of the compressor of a jet engine .

Not all engine inlets are completely rotationally symmetrical . For the safe functioning of an engine, however, an even pressure distribution behind the inlet is important. Engine manufacturers therefore require a certain minimum quality of the pressure distribution.

To determine the distortion factor , the pressure curves over the face of the first stage of the compressor are measured in wind tunnel tests and the pressure is plotted against angles in a diagram . The mean value of the pressure in the range of +/- 30 ° around the minimum of the pressure curve is then given as the distortion factor (also: DC60 factor ).