MATERIAL, PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT FOR FUTURE HELICOPTER APPLICATIONS

摘要

Current helicopter (HC) composite parts, either rotor or fuselage structures are in most cases manufactured using prepreg technology, often combined with autoclave processes. The used fibre materials vary from E-glass to modern carbon fibres. For the matrix predominantly epoxy resins are used. For future helicopters, the need for low cost production, avoidance of obsolescence and incorporation of "green" helicopter aspects are expected. New materials, processes and manufacturing technologies must yield improved or at least equivalent mechanical characteristics compared to current state-of-the-art materials, while leading to cost-savings compared to standard prepreg processes and respecting all future regulations coming from diverse programs (Clean Sky, REACH). Short process times shall be realized with minimum energy consumption in order to reach a high degree of flexibility in single part production, desirably for "out of autoclave" processes. Room temperature processes are the goal for forming and draping operations, while waste of material and auxiliary materials will be minimized. To match these future requirements, different technology programs have been started to set up a flexible production chain.