A contra-rotating fan offers several aerodynamic advantages that make it a potential candidate for future aircraft engine configurations. Stall in a contra-rotating axial fan is interesting since instabilities could arise from either or both of the rotors. In this experimental study, a contra-rotating axial fan is analysed under clean or distorted inflow conditions to understand its performance and stall inception characteristics. The steady and unsteady measurements identified the relative contribution of each rotor towards the performance of the stage. The tip of rotor-1 is identified to be the most critical region of the contra-rotating fan. The contribution of rotor-2 to the overall loading of the stage is observed to be relatively less than rotor-1. The penalty due to distortion in the stage pressure rise is mostly felt by rotor-1, while rotor-2 also shows a reduction in performance for distorted inflows. Rotor-2 stalls at a high flow coefficient marking the initiation of partial stall of the stage, and the stall of the whole stage occurs once rotor-1 stalls. A fluid phenomenon that is attached to the blade surface marks the stall of rotor-1, and this fluid phenomenon initially rotates at a speed close to the speed of rotation of the blade. As the stage moves towards the fully developed stall, this fluid phenomenon sheds from the blade surface. The fluid phenomenon thus propagates at a speed much lower than the rotational speed of the blade during fully developed stall.
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