Investigation of Static and Fatigue Characteristics of Thermoplastic CF-UD/PEKK Material for Rotorcraft Lug Parts

Abstract

In rotary wing aircraft, composite lug structures are perforated structures that connect the rotor and blades. They play a significant structural role in rotary wing aircraft. In this study the effect of lay-up parameters on mechanical strength of a thick composite part that represents a blade root. This part is autoclave manufactured polyetherketoneketone matrix carbon fiber reinforced (CF/PEKK) composites, which have recently been researched for usage in defense and aerospace is investigated. The chosen material carbon-fiber-reinforced polyetherketoneketone composites (CF-PEKK) have an excellent mechanical, physical, thermal performance. Aerospace sector has a special interest on this material due to material's low density and versatility. In this study, static and fatigue performance of rotorcraft lug part were investigated by applying non-destructive-test (NDT) methods and the mechanical strength values were discussed according to the experimental results. It has been observed that the component parts with -/+ 45 degrees layup has the highest mechanical strength. As a result of the static and fatigue tests, it is seen that satisfactorily performance in the view of the both static and dynamic loading states.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUEBIdot;TAK) under the Frontier R&D Laboratory Support Program [5189901]This study is a part of the project (# 5189901) supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUEB & Idot;TAK) under the Frontier R&D Laboratory Support Program and hosted in Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc.