Investigation of Static and Fatigue Characteristics of Thermoplastic CF-UD/PEKK Material for Rotorcraft Lug Parts

• Published in: Strength of materials 2024-03, Vol.56 (2), p.361-374
• Main Authors: Çakıcı, U. G., Ece, R. E., Toros, S., Apatay, T., Yıldırım, B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerospace industry; Aircraft; Carbon fiber reinforced plastics; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Classical Mechanics; Dynamic loads; Fatigue tests; Fiber composites; Investigations; Materials Science; Nondestructive testing; Polyetherketoneketones; Rotary wing aircraft; Solid Mechanics
• ISSN: 0039-2316; 1573-9325
• DOI: 10.1007/s11223-024-00655-3

In rotary wing aircraft, composite lug structures are perforated structures that connect the rotor and blades. They play a significant structural role in rotary wing aircraft. In this study the effect of lay-up parameters on mechanical strength of a thick composite part that represents a blade root. This part is autoclave manufactured polyetherketoneketone matrix carbon fiber reinforced (CF/PEKK) composites, which have recently been researched for usage in defense and aerospace is investigated. The chosen material carbon-fiber-reinforced polyetherketoneketone composites (CF-PEKK) have an excellent mechanical, physical, thermal performance. Aerospace sector has a special interest on this material due to material’s low density and versatility. In this study, static and fatigue performance of rotorcraft lug part were investigated by applying non-destructive-test (NDT) methods and the mechanical strength values were discussed according to the experimental results. It has been observed that the component parts with ∓45° layup has the highest mechanical strength. As a result of the static and fatigue tests, it is seen that satisfactorily performance in the view of the both static and dynamic loading states.