Study of Composite Helicopter Rotor Blade Under Non-Uniform Pressure Using Finite

Element Method
Ihab Moutawakil, Othmane Omalek
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, USA

ABSTRACT

Composite materials have seen a lot of use in the field of aerodynamics in

recent years. The goal of this research is to provide a method for modeling a
composite helicopter rotor blade under non-uniform pressures utilizing various
materials. Aluminum and carbon epoxy are among the materials we propose. The
finite element analysis and comparison for both materials may then be used to find
prospective weight reduction and efficiency optimization utilizing composite
materials against other materials. The goal is to have a better knowledge of how to
optimize materials and reduce weight. To that end, the finite element analysis used in
this study will focus on the reduction of deformation across the blade, as well as the
maximum stress and pressure distribution outcomes of employing composite material
versus other materials.
Keywords: FEA, Modal analysis, Stress analysis, Composite rotor blade.

INTRODUCTION
Because of its ability to hover and fly ahead, the helicopter is one of the most
flexible types of aircraft. However, because of these unique characteristics, some
aspects of the design must be sacrificed. The helicopter rotor's aerodynamic and
material designs are no exception; the rotor must be efficient when hovering as well
as capable of bearing a suitable weight during cruising flight.
All of the functions necessary for helicopter flying are performed by the main
rotor. Lift is generated to overcome gravity, propulsion is generated to maintain
forward flight, and control forces are generated to modify the helicopter's attitude in
level flight and maneuvering. A mast, hub, and rotor blades make up the majority of
the rotor. The overall performance, vibration, and acoustics of the helicopter are all
affected by the latter component design.
Since the dawn of flight, the ideal circumstances for designers have been to
strike a balance between maximum safety (strength, stiffness, and durability) and low
manufacturing and operational expenses. Helicopter rotor blades have undergone
significant design and material advances throughout the years. The usage of fiber-
reinforced composites in flight essential structures in helicopters is fast increasing in
terms of material. High-performance composites are recognized for their high
strength and stiffness, low density, and fatigue and corrosion resistance, all of which
make them excellent for a wide range of aviation and aerospace applications.
In this article, a non-linear structural and modal analysis comparison of rotor
blades under non-uniform pressure made of composite material against aluminum in
cruising conditions will be performed to see how much weight reduction and
efficiency optimization can be achieved.
LITERATURE REVIEW
A thorough review of prior literature on helicopter main rotor modeling and
analysis was conducted. Most notably, composite materials are extensively utilized in
the aircraft sector due to their high strength-to-weight ratios, as the structure must be
exceedingly light and able to sustain a large range of load scenarios. Many studies
used the finite element approach to analyze the structural integrity of the primary
rotor blade. (Sastry B et al., n.d.) provides a software-based technique for modeling
and assessing the strength and deformation of a propeller constructed of metal and
composite materials. To evaluate the efficacy of composite over metal propellers,
stress analysis is performed on both composite and metal propellers using Ansys
software. In metal propellers, the suggested method resulted in considerable
improvements. For both metallic and composite propellers, the ANSYS program was
used to determine mean deflection, normal stress, and shear stress. The authors used
ANSYS to model the blade length as a cantilever beam and applied the load as a
uniform distributed load. As per the results, the stress analysis composite propeller is
a secure resonance phenomenon. This project intends to reduce stress levels so that
the weight-loss and stress-reduction effects can be attained.
Another research (Sankaran et al., n.d.) looked at the structural and material
properties of a light helicopter main rotor blade, including the twist angle, which is
important for stability. They evaluated the characteristics of carbon/epoxy and
glass/epoxy composite materials in rotor blades with varied twist angles. To achieve
so, the mechanical characteristics were simulated using the Finite element approach.
The modeling of the rotor blades was done with CATIA software, and the analysis
was done with hyper mesh software. Carbon epoxy eventually surpassed glass epoxy
based on simulation results.
Second research was conducted by Penn State University's mechanical
department on the creation and analysis of helicopter rotor blades using the finite
element approach (Roemer et al., n.d.). The study was conducted with the help of a
Design model of a Trex 600 RC helicopter blade. Lift and drag forces were measured
and applied for modeling. The simulation and analysis were carried out using the
ABAQUS finite element program. The blade was then loaded into ANSYS for
complicated geometries meshing. Multiple rounds were required to get a reasonable
mesh quality. The mesh blade was then imported into ABAQUS, and material
attributes were applied. Based on the blade's nominal operating parameters, fair load
conditions were computed and applied. As a result, the model was constrained by a
simple boundary condition. Finally, simulations were done to see how different
loading circumstances affected the blade. The major conclusions could be intuitively
corroborated as a result of simple and predicted activities, and visualizations of
displacement, tension, and strain were acquired. Finally, a frequency analysis was
used to look into resonant frequency modes.
 METHODOLOGY AND PROBLEM DESCRIPTION
Rotor blades are usually under complicated loads. Our main objective is to provide a
method for modeling a non-linear analysis of composite blades under non-uniform
pressure and use these results along with a modal analysis to compare the extent of
composite materials with other materials such as aluminum.

Specifications
The selected rotor
blade model was created in
CATIA V5 using the
GRABCAD library's
resources. This model is
accurate to the geometry of
a light helicopter. The EC
635 - Light Utility
Helicopter (LUH) is the
foundation of our study for
this project [7], [8]. The lift
is generated by two rotor Figure 1. Isometric view of the blade
blades on this aircraft. This
helicopter's maximum gross
weight is estimated to be
around 2900kg rotor blade.
The primary rotor's
parameters are as follows:

Table 1. General rotor blade speed

Articulation Free to teeter and cone, rigid in-plane

Number of blades 2
Diameter 12.6 m
Blade chord 63 cm
Blade twist -6 degrees
Tip speed 300 rpm
Lift to Drag ratio 16

Material properties
The materials chosen for our investigation were carbon epoxy as a composite material
and aluminum. The following are the qualities of both materials:
 Table 2. Aluminum Properties

Young’s Modulus MPa 69000

Poisson’s ratio 0.32
Density g/cm3 2.57
Tensile Yield Strength MPa 276
Shear Strength MPa 207

Table 3. Carbon epoxy Properties

Young’s Modulus, Ex MPa 120000

Young’s Modulus, Ey MPa 10000
Young’s Modulus, Ez MPa 10000
In-plane shear modulus, Gxy 5200
MPa
In-plane shear modulus, Gxz 3800
MPa
In-plane shear modulus, Gyz 6000
MPa
Poisson’s ratio NUxy 0.16
Poisson’s ratio NUxz 0.16
Poisson’s ratio NUyz 0.16
Density g/cm3 1.6
Tensile strength - Longitudinal 1100
MPa
Tensile strength - Transverse 50
MPa
Shear Strength MPa 90

It should be kept in mind that the carbon epoxy has changing material properties in x,
y and z axis.

Figure 2. Material orientation

Boundary Conditions & Loads
Forces and stresses
The resulting lift and thrust, drag, centrifugal force, and twisting forces are the
principal forces operating on a flying propeller. The combined lift and propulsive
force is responsible for overcoming the weight-bearing force created by the air
dynamic action on the propeller, causing bending stress in the latter. Furthermore, the
resulting force is used to determine the helicopter's orientation. This thrust can be
made forward, backward, upward, or sideways. Drag force opposes moving bodies in
the air and must be overcome in order to turn the rotor. Total drag is, in fact, the sum
of profile, induced, and parasite drag. The centrifugal force acting on the propeller is
primarily generated by the rotor disk's revolution, and it has a propensity to shift
spinning bodies away from the rotation center. The air forces acting on the blade
cause it to deflect at an angle, triggering the twisting forces. Shear stresses are
created inside the material as a result of the torsion.
Bending, tensile, and torsion stresses are the principal stresses operating on the
flying propeller. The thrust pressures cause the blade to bend forward, causing
bending stresses. The force that causes tensile strains is the centrifugal force. Torsion
stresses are caused by the interaction of two twisting moments. The first torsion
stress caused by the air response is the aerodynamic twisting moment. The
centrifugal twisting moment, which is caused by the centrifugal force, is the second
stress.

Figure 3. Loads applied on a helicopter rotor blade

For cruising flight, the lift required per rotor blade is

ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠×𝑔
𝐿= = 14.2𝑘𝑁, 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 = 4𝑚2
𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑠

Thus, the non-uniform pressure can be modeled as 𝑃 = 1.82 × 10−4 × (6.3 − 𝑥)

For the pressure applied by the drag, knowing that lift-to-drag ratio is 16 and L is
14.2kN and the chord area is 0.315 m2, it can be modeled as follows:
 𝑃 = 1.45 × 10−4 × (6.3 − 𝑥)
The following formula is used for the centrifugal force: 𝐹𝑐𝑒𝑛 = 𝑚 × 𝜔2 × 𝑟
With 𝜔 = 300𝑟𝑝𝑚, 𝑟 = 6.3𝑚, and m the mass of rotor blade which varies
depending on the material it is made of.
The helicopter rotor blade model's boundary conditions are established such that the
connecting edge welded to the main rotor is limited in all directions.

Figure 4. boundary conditions and loads

Meshing
The rotor blade mesh is made up of quadratic tetrahedral pieces (C3D10 type). Quadratic
tetrahedral components would result in a more accurate mesh that could handle changes in
geometry. A seed size of 100 was chosen as the global seed size.

Modal analysis
Our FEA modal analysis can be compared with the analytical solution to build
confidence in our analysis.
The formula for natural frequency, given as, may be used to conduct modal analysis
analytically.

RESULTS
Modal Analysis: comparison between aluminum and carbon epoxy

Table 5. Natural frequencies of the aluminum rotor blade

Table 4. Natural frequencies of the Carbon Epoxy rotor blade

We had to compare the recovered findings (aluminum rotor blade results owing to
the availability of all parameters for equation.1) with the analytical results to
confirm our FEA results.
 Table 6. Analytical and computational results comparison

Modes Computational Analytical

1 1.49 1.29
2 7.53 11
3 9.54 17
4 26.1 29
5 32.4 41
We may deduce that carbon epoxy is a superior material than aluminum because the
frequencies are significantly higher by examining the data in the table and
contrasting them. This implies that composite materials have a wider frequency
range.

Stress and displacement comparison

Figure 5. Von mises stress of composite material Figure 6. Von mises stress of aluminum

Figure 7. Von mises stress vs time at maximum stress node

Figure 8. displacement of composite material rotor blade Figure 9. displacement of aluminum rotor blade

Table 7. Results comparison

Data Aluminum Rotor Blade Carbon Epoxy Rotor Blade

Von Miss Stress (MPa) 107.2 260.9
Maximum Stress in x 132.7 272
direction (MPa)
Maximum Stress in y 38.74 6
direction (MPa)
Maximum Stress in z 45.21 9.2
direction (MPa)
Maximum Shear Stress Sxy 19.75 10.43
(MPa)
Maximum Shear Stress Sxz 47.33 20.17
(MPa)
Maximum Shear Stress Syz 6.523 2.23
(MPa)
Displacement (mm) 79.53 56.55

The stress on an aluminum rotor blade is substantially lower than that on a carbon epoxy rotor
blade (Von misses stress and stresses along the x direction). The stress on the aluminum rotor
blade is larger when maximal tension is applied in the y and z directions in addition to shear
forces. Both materials are able to withstand the loads since the maximum stress and shear-stress
imposed are less than the tensile yield strength and shear strength in both situations.

Additionally, aluminum has a somewhat greater displacement. Based on these findings, we may
conclude that both materials are useful in our research. Carbon epoxy, on the other hand, is
useful because it may improve structural performance, such as strength and vibration resistance.
Furthermore, as compared to aluminum, the use of carbon epoxy provides for a 37.74 %weight
reduction, meaning a consequent reduction in fuel consumption and cost.

We compared our approach with different research approach where the latter presented a method
to model composite blades where the whole model's cross-section was separated into laminate
and non-laminate parts, which were then parameterized by adding thickness, geometric location,
and design control points. After that, a VABS input file was created, from which the blade's
cross-section properties were determined. Following this comparison, we noticed an
approximation of results even with different approaches.

CONCLUSION
Summarizing, an approach has been developed to model a composite helicopter rotor
blade under non-uniform pressures. The deformation and stress behaviors along with
modal analysis of composite blade have been studied and compared to aluminum. When
compared to aluminum, the modal analysis of carbon epoxy has a wider frequency range.
As a result, the vibration performance is improved. Aluminum rotor blades are less
stressed than carbon epoxy rotor blades. Despite this, both materials can withstand the
loads since the maximum stress and shear stress imposed are less than the tensile yield
strength and shear strength in both situations.
REFERENCES