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The Fibre Composite Helicopter Blade

Part I: Stiffness Properties: Part II: Prospects for Aeroelastic Tailoring

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 June 2016

E.H. Mansfield  and
A.J. Sobey
E.H. Mansfield
Affiliation:
Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough
A.J. Sobey
Affiliation:
Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough
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Summary

In Part 1 expressions are derived for the coupled torsional, extensional and flexural stiffnesses of a fibre composite tube, such as a helicopter blade, which is subjected to torsion, longitudinal tension, chordwise and flapping bending moments and shear. The theory is an extension of Batho-Bredt engineering analysis and is valid for a cylindrical tube of arbitrary cross-section with an arbitrary circumferential distribution of fibre composite plies. Particular attention is paid to the coupling effects in which an asymmetric fibre lay-up results in a twisting of the tube under bending and/or tension. Consideration is also given to the influence on the stiffness characteristics of an initial twist in the tube.

In Part 2 the analysis of Part 1 is developed numerically for tubes representative of GFRP blades. Static and dynamic aspects are considered which pave the way for aeroelastic tailoring studies of such blades.

Type
Research Article
Information
Aeronautical Quarterly , Volume 30 , Issue 2 , May 1979 , pp. 413 - 449
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society. 1979

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References

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