Composite Rotor Blade Analysis using Altair HyperWorks: A Case Study
Technology Category
- Drones - Multirotor Drones
- Sensors - Gyroscopes
Applicable Industries
- Aerospace
- Education
Applicable Functions
- Procurement
- Product Research & Development
Use Cases
- Smart Campus
- Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing
Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
The customer in this case study is Christopher Van Damme, a senior undergraduate student within the Department of Engineering Mechanics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was working on a senior design project involving the design and analysis of a coaxial rotor craft. Specifically, he was tasked with analyzing a composite-made helicopter rotor blade. To accomplish this, he had to employ Computer-Aided Engineering tools to cover the required studies regarding static, modal, frequency response, and dynamic analysis of the rotor. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is known for its core strengths across engineering disciplines, reflecting its history of innovation and a tremendous opportunity. The faculty strongly supports collaboration structures across disciplinary boundaries, including departments such as healthcare, energy, advanced manufacturing, and materials innovation.
The Challenge
The case study revolves around a senior design project undertaken by Christopher Van Damme, a senior undergraduate student in the Department of Engineering Mechanics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The project involved the design and analysis of a coaxial rotor craft, specifically focusing on a composite-made helicopter rotor blade. Rotor blades are critical components of helicopters, providing thrust, lift, and enabling maneuvers. Modern helicopters use rotor blades made of composite material due to their excellent strength-to-weight ratio, damage tolerance, and fatigue life. However, composite material is challenging to compute using analytical methods or reduced order models. Therefore, Van Damme had to apply suitable Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) tools to cover the required studies, including static, modal, frequency response, and dynamic analysis of the rotor.
The Solution
To analyze the composite-made rotor blades, Van Damme used Altair's HyperWorks suite. The rotor blade was initially designed within a 3D CAD package and then imported into HyperMesh for preprocessing tasks such as geometry editing and mesh generation. HyperMesh facilitated a quick and streamlined process, enabling full 3D finite element modeling for an accurate representation of the rotor blade's response. The rotor hub and rotor blades, which critically influence the aircraft's performance, were of particular interest in the analysis. The 3D CAD model was imported into HyperMesh as separate solid parts, converted to surfaces for shell meshing, and prepared for a composite structure analysis. The rotor blade's root, where the highest stress occurs, was meshed as 3D solids representing the material properties of a continued ply layup through the thickness of the airfoil. The aerodynamic loads were applied at discrete points along the rotor's length for lift and drag. The design used an articulated or rigid connection, with the blade root constrained by two titanium lugs, acting as constraints within the model.
Operational Impact
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