Improved Technology for the Helicopter Rotor Blade Manufacturing from Polymer Composite Materials

Technological Issues of the Flying Vehicles Composite Structures Manufacturing


Аuthors

Bokhoeva L. A.1, 2*, Shatov M. S.1**, Rogov V. E.1, Chermoshentseva A. S.3***, Ivanov A. A.1

1. East Siberia State University of Technology and Management, 40v, Klyuchevskaya str, Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia, 670013, Russia
2. Irkutsk branch of Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation, (MSTUCA), 3, Kommunarov str., Irkutsk, 664047, Russia
3. Baumann Moscow State Technical University, 105005, Moscow, 2nd Baumanskaya St., b. 5, c. 1

*e-mail: bohoeva@yandex.ru
**e-mail: maksim.shatov.97@mail.ru
***e-mail: asch-13@ya.ru

Abstract

The article substantiates an improved manufacturing scheme for a helicopter rotor blade from structural polymer composite materials. The object of consideration is a multilayer composite shell of a complex aerodynamic profile, which external contour forming is inseparably associated with laminate compaction and binder curing. It is demonstrated that conventional technology with elastic diaphragm imposes enhanced requirements to the press-chamber air-tightness, both vacuum and pressure systems stability, the temperature-time mode precision and the state of the forming tooling. These requirements are hard to ensure for the surfaces with double curvature along the entire forming zone, which leads to the air inclusions, folding, porosity, lamination and geometry deviations occurrence. The authors proposed employing silicone forming mandrel from the elastomeric compound such as Pentaelast-750. When heated, the forming mandrel expands and transfers the distributed contact pressure to the prepreg stack from the blade shell inside, and it shrinks after cooling and extracted without significant effort, pressing the laminate against the forming surface of the mold. The manufacturing sequence includes incoming inspection of the glass fabric, binder and auxiliary materials; drying and impregnation of the reinforcement; prepreg preparation; blanks cutting; the layer-by-layer assembly with the fiber orientation control; preliminary compaction; final forming under staged heating; machining; and final quality control. The authors compared conventional and improved technologies by the presence of defects. The authors compared conventional and improved technologies by the presence of defects, labor intensity, energy consumption, tooling resource and surface accuracy. It is demonstrated that the silicone mandrel application may reduce the rejection rate from 20-30% to 5-10%, decrease labor intensity by about 25 %, reduce energy consumption by 20-25 %, increase the tooling service life up to fivefold and improve contour reproduction. The proposed process is technologically promising for manufacturing the helicopter rotor blades and other composite shell structures of variable curvature, including unmanned aerial vehicle airframe elements, fairings, air intakes and wind turbine blades.

Keywords:

improved manufacturing technology, composite materials, helicopter propeller blade, internal silicon shaping mandrel, autoclave molding, die mold, prepreg, processing pressure, quality control

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