Design and fabrication of an all-composite stabilizer section

• Main Author: Lim, Chien Kai.
• Other Authors: Sunil Chandrakant Joshi
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Aeronautical engineering::Materials of construction
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/45941
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In this project, design, development and manufacturing by co-curing of a 3D aerofoil structure was demonstrated by fabricating a typical tapered tail section with two C-spars running through its entire span. The C-spar is bonded at its flange with the skin of the tail section and this forms the main structural member of the section that carries the flight loads and weight of the tail. A study of co-curing techniques was first conducted and several designs were compared and evaluated. The 3 piece hollow mold design for repeatable autoclave curing was developed and proved to be advantageous over other methods. An initial sample fabrication carried out was studied to optimize the tail fabrication process before the full scale mold parts were machined. The set of mold parts with design features to achieve good tolerance and ease of flexibility in repair and reconstruction was produced. An evaluation of the manufacturing process revealed the C-spar flange spring back during lay-up as the main challenge that affects the quality of the co-cured tail section. Lastly, a review comprising 3D profilometry, tap testing and load analysis on the composite tail substantiated the composite part qualities. In the load analysis conducted, the measured deflection on the cantilever-loaded actual composite tail was within 20% of the deflection predicted using FE analysis. This result validates the structural quality of the co-cured all-composite tail. The recommendations for future works on the co-cured tail include further fabrication of tail sections for more extensive tests and an improved design of the tail clamp fixture for the load analysis.