Abstract
The design methodology based on the planning of experiments and response surface technique has been developed for an optimum placement of Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) actuators in the helicopter rotor blades. The baseline helicopter rotor blade consists of D‐spar made of UD GFRP, skin made of +450/‐450 GFRP, foam core, MFC actuators placement on the skin and balance weight. 3D finite element model of the rotor blade has been built by ANSYS, where the rotor blade skin and spar “moustaches” are modeled by the linear layered structural shell elements SHELL99, and the spar and foam ‐ by 3D 20‐node structural solid elements SOLID 186. The thermal analyses of 3D finite element model have been developed to investigate an active twist of the helicopter rotor blade. Strain analogy between piezoelectric strains and thermally induced strains is used to model piezoelectric effects. The optimisation results have been obtained for design solutions, connected with the application of active materials, and checked by the finite element calculations.
Highlights
In time of helicopter flight rotor blades produce significant vibration and noise as a result of variations in rotor blade aerodynamic loads with blade azimuth angle
An investigated helicopter rotor blade (Fig 1) is equipped with NACA23012 airfoil and has a rectangular shape with active part radius 1.56 m and chord length 0.121 m. This rotor blade consists of D-spar made of unidirectional GFRP (Glas Fiber Reinforced Polymer), skin made of +450/–450 GFRP, foam core, Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) actuators and balance weight
An optimisation problem for the optimum placement of actuators in the helicopter rotor blade has been formulated on the results of parametric study using the finite element method
Summary
In time of helicopter flight rotor blades produce significant vibration and noise as a result of variations in rotor blade aerodynamic loads with blade azimuth angle. Significant vibration and noise reduction can be achieved without the need for complex mechanisms in the rotating system using active twist control of helicopter rotor blades by the application of MFC actuators. In this case MFC actuators are implemented in the form of active plies within the composite skin of the rotor blade with orientation at 450 to the blade axis to maximize the shear deformations in the laminated skin producing a distributed twisting moment along the blade.
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