Composite Reinforced Swashplate Stiffness Weight Trade-off
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current swashplates in rotary wing aircraft are heavy due to their metal construction, and replacing them with composite materials is challenging because they require tightly toleranced surfaces and high strength, which is difficult to achieve with composite materials while maintaining necessary life and strength.
Innovation Solution
A swashplate design incorporating a metal component with interfacing features and a tubular composite component, where the composite component is arranged within the cavity of the metal component to increase stiffness with minimal weight addition, using fiberglass or graphite fibers and separate sections for enhanced strength and manufacturing ease.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the cross-section of the swashplate is increased to achieve high stiffness, then the stiffness is improved, but the weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The swashplate uses a composite structure combining metal and composite materials. The metal component provides the necessary strength and stiffness for load-bearing interfaces, while the composite material (fiberglass or graphite fibers) adds stiffness with minimal weight increase. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by achieving high stiffness without proportionally increasing weight compared to all-metal construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The swashplate applies different materials to different regions: metal components are used where high strength and stiffness are critical for interfacing features, while composite material is applied in regions where additional stiffness is needed but weight must be minimized. This localized material distribution optimizes the stiffness-to-weight ratio.
2Weight of moving object
If composite materials are used to replace metal components to decrease weight, then the weight is reduced, but the manufacturing precision and strength become difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a hybrid composite-metal construction where the metal component maintains tightly toleranced surfaces and high strength interfaces, while the composite material provides weight reduction. This approach overcomes the limitation of composite materials alone by combining them with metal where precision and strength are critical.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite component is nested within or alongside the metal component structure. The metal framework provides the precision interface geometry, while the composite material is integrated into the structure to enhance stiffness without compromising the toleranced surfaces provided by the metal portions.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A swashplate of a blade pitch control assembly is provided including a metal component having one or more interfacing features. The metal component includes a hollow first cylinder having a first flange extending outwardly from a first end thereof and a second flange extending outwardly from a second end thereof. A sidewall extends between the first and second flanges such that a cavity is defined between the first flange, the second flange, and the sidewall. A plurality of connecting members is connected to a portion of the first flange and the second flange and is spaced about a periphery of the first cylinder. A tubular composite component is arranged at least partially within the cavity between adjacent pairs of the connecting members.