composite helicoptor rotor blades

[choplifter]

I am trying to find information on past and present manufacturing methods of helicopter main rotor blades. If anyone can help by giving me some information, or point me in the right direction on some books or papers that i can find, it would be greatly apprecciated.

 

[catpaw]

Check out this web site for starters - you can find more on any search engine.

http://www.skywheels.com/

 

[Qshake]

Check out the libraries of those universities presently doing work in composite or advanced material. The following come to mind:

Winona State University - Minnesota
University of Delaware
Michigan State University
USC
University of Florida - Center for Advanced Composites

Also, check out the periodical Composite Technology and Composites by Ray publishing for past articles.

You can also check out composite engineering on About.com

 

I am trying to find information on past and present manufacturing methods of helicopter main rotor blades. If anyone can help by giving me some information, or point me in the right direction on some books or papers that i can find, it would be greatly apprecciated.
Thank you

 

[joescan]

this may help you out

http://www.azom.com/details.asp?ArticleID=632

 

[joescan]

this is what i meant

http://www.azom.com/details.asp?ArticleID=918&head=Composites+for+Aeroengines

 

[zuardy]

Hi Don Pepe / choplifter,
helicopter main rotor blade was made from metal (aluminium) as far as i know, because of this the earlier rotor blade need hinge to overcome the coriolious effect. His manufacturing should be similar to other normal metal wing -> bending.
The modern main rotor is made from composite as skin and nomex/honeycomb or hard foam as core, also called sandwich. Because of the flexibility it then doesn't need hinge again, so it is called hingeless main rotor. The manufacturing is the like other composite part :
prepregs -> lay up over the die -> curing
Hope it would help you!

regards

 

[IOW]

Try

http://www.gkn-whl.co.uk/

They may help!
As a Helicopter producer, they have been building Carbon Fibre skinned rotor blades for years!
And the EH101 helicopter in all it's variants (Cormorant/Merlin etc) have these blades.

 

[RPstress]

The modern composite Westland blade skins (made at Yeovil in the UK) are typically tape laid into a female mold by a specially designed tape laying machine. The skins tend to be a mix of carbon and glass for ballistic damage tolerance.

They tend to be quite proud of their blades, and an approach to their publicity department might well pay off.