On the effective shear modulus of composite honeycomb sandwich panels

U radu je određen efektivni modul klizanja kompozitnog panela sa saćastom ispunom. Ovaj elastični koeficijent predstavlja veoma važnu karakteristiku kompozitnih panela, naročito kod kompozitnih konstrukcija koje su izložene uvijanju kao i kombinovanom uvijanju sa savijanjem. Analizirane strukture u ovom radu sastoje se od gornje i donje kompozitne ploče (različitih tipova karbonskih vlakana, T300, AS4 u epoksidnoj matrici) kao i saćaste ispune (HexWeb EC engineered core). Polazeći od klasične teorije lamine, efektivni modul elastičnosti klizanja je određen za svaki sloj u kompozitnoj ploči. Ovi slojevi su spojeni u jedinstveni kompozitni sloj za različita usmerenja vlakana kao i debljine lamina. Elastični koeficijenti saćaste ispune HexWeb središnjeg sloja kompozitnog panela su izračunati koristeći teoriju Master Evans u cilju dobijanja ekvivalentnih vrednosti. Za proveru predloženog pristupa korišćen je metod konačnih elemenata, u cilju dobijanja polja pomeranja, deformacija i napona u kompozitnim pločama i saćastoj ispuni. Dva tipa numeričkih modela su upoređena: početni model, pri čemu su svi slojevi ploče modelirani sa svojim karakteristikama i drugi model kod kojeg su spojeni u jednu celinu sa svojim ekvivalentnim karakteristikama. Zaključeno je da se ekvivalentni metod određivanja modula klizanja kompozitnih panela sa saćastim ispunama može efikasno primeniti u slučajevima kada su gornja i donja kompozitna ploča simetričnog slaganja ili uopšte kvaziizotropna.In the presented paper the effective shear modulus of composite plates with honeycomb core is determined. This elastic coefficient represents one very important property, especially in constructions subjected to torsion and combined bending - torsion. The structures investigated in this research consisted of top and bottom plates (of different types of carbon fibers, T300, AS4 in epoxy matrix) and honeycomb core (HexWeb engineered core). Starting from classical lamination theory, the effective shear modulus of top and bottom plates was determined for each ply in the stack up sequence. These plies were 'lumped' into a single composite layer for different fiber orientations and plies thicknesses. Elastic coefficients for the HexWeb engineered core were obtained using Master and Evans relations for the equivalent properties of honeycomb cores. To verify this approach, finite element method was used to determine the displacement, stress and strain field on composite plates with honeycomb core. Two types of models were compared: the initial model where all the material components, plates and the core were modeled with their intrinsic properties and 'lumped' model with calculated effective elastic coefficients. It was found that the method of effective shear modulus calculation can successfully be used in situations where top and bottom plates are symmetric or quasi isotropic in general

Single rotor helicopter parasite drag estimation in the preliminary design stage

This paper presents the methodology for the rapid estimation of the single rotor helicopter parasite drag in the forward flight in the preliminary design phase. The aerodynamic drag of fuselage, main rotor hub, landing gear and the other, non-rotating defective surfaces contribute with more than 50% of the total power required for the forward flight at higher cruising speeds and therefore requires a more approximate determination in the design stages before the prototype development. The parasite drag determination is based on the evaluation of the basic value of The Equivalent Parasite Drag Flat Plate Area and its changes depending on the fuselage angle of attack. Plenty of the statistical indicators, aerotunnel tests results and the recent CFD investigations were taken into consideration during the process of developing and testing this methodology

Failure of mounting bolt of helicopter main gearbox support strut

The mounting bolt of helicopter main gearbox support strut was fractured into two pieces during the flight mission. The fracture occurred at the root of the first engaged thread of the bolt-nut assembly. Visual inspection of the fracture zone revealed cracks, formed by interlinking of corrosion pits, at the almost all thread roots of the bolt. Energy dispersive spectroscopy disclosed significant damage of the cadmium plating as well as the presence of large amounts of corrosion products at the bolt threads. Through the fractography and metallography analysis, it was found that the mounting bolt failed due to hydrogen-induced intergranular stress corrosion cracking (HI-IGSCC). The finite element (FE) analysis confirmed that the crack origin was located at the area with the maximum tensile stress in the bolt

Failure of mounting bolt of helicopter main gearbox support strut

The mounting bolt of helicopter main gearbox support strut was fractured into two pieces during the flight mission. The fracture occurred at the root of the first engaged thread of the bolt-nut assembly. Visual inspection of the fracture zone revealed cracks, formed by interlinking of corrosion pits, at the almost all thread roots of the bolt. Energy dispersive spectroscopy disclosed significant damage of the cadmium plating as well as the presence of large amounts of corrosion products at the bolt threads. Through the fractography and metallography analysis, it was found that the mounting bolt failed due to hydrogen-induced intergranular stress corrosion cracking (HI-IGSCC). The finite element (FE) analysis confirmed that the crack origin was located at the area with the maximum tensile stress in the bolt