Compression Moulding of Composite Tailboom Frames with Hybrid Fibre Architectures Technology Demonstration

Continuous fibre (CF) aerospace preforms exhibiting excellent mechanical performance possess low formability characteristics and are confined to simple shell-like geometries with minimal curvatures, while incurring high-costs and long manufacturing times. On the other hand, long discontinuous fibre preforms such as randomly oriented strands (ROS) (bulk pre-impregnated finite sized chips of unidirectional or woven fabric material) offer high formability, but exhibit low mechanical performance. The project aims at exploring trade-off solutions of formability and mechanical performance in composites through the design and fabrication of composite helicopter tailboom frames (technology demonstrator) using hybrid fibre architectures of ROS and CF. Compression moulding, a low-cost out-of-autoclave closed mould process will be used. The structural design guidelines and preliminary process windows will be established as a function of design complexities and functional requirements, with an emphasis on reduction of part variability, increased repeatability and increased quality. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Larry Lessard

Student:

Swaroop Bylahally Visweswaraiah

Partner:

Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Ltd.

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Aerospace and defense

University:

Program: