This paper reports on the development of a low-cost composite helicopter tailboom. The aim is to develop a structure which takes advantage of the performance benefits offered by composite materials, while remaining cost competitive with a production metal baseline. The in situ consolidation technology for fiber-reinforced thermoplastic materials, which was developed by Automated Dynamics Corporation (ADC) of Schenectady, NY, shows promise for achieving this goal. Several test specimens have been fabricated to evaluate the effect of processing speed. One of these specimens was used to conduct an initial ballistic tolerance test. A 6-ft long tailboom section, which was produced utilizing a 3-in/s tape deposit rate, was statically tested to failure. This specimen will be further utilized in the demonstration of repair techniques for thermoplastic structures of this type. Following the static test, the design was modified to change the overlap criteria for the +- 45-deg tape plies. Additional process changes will improve the quality of the surface finish and reduce subsequent finishing costs. A second 6-ft long specimen incorporating these changes will be statically tested in 1994. The results that have been achieved are very encouraging. The next step will be the design and fabrication of a full-scale boom, which can be flight qualified.
Low-cost thermoplastic helicopter tailboom development
Die Entwicklung eines kostengünstigen, thermoplastischen Heckauslegers für Hubschrauber
Forum, Annual Forum, American Helicopter Society, 50 ; 2 ; 1075-1084
1994
10 Seiten, 16 Bilder, 2 Quellen
Conference paper
English
Low Cost Thermoplastic Helicopter Tailboom Development
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