Braided Composite Technologies for Rotorcraft Structures

The Phase 2 effort will be used to advance the material and design technologies that were explored in the Phase 1 study of hybrid gears. In this hybrid approach, the conventional metallic web is replaced with a composite element. This alternative design generates a significant weight reduction and the potential for the reduction of noise and vibration. The Phase 2 program will make the first large scale hybrid gears that can be run in a rotating gear rig with imposed torque loading. Several full scale gears will be made as well as full scale test elements. Test results from full scale testing will be applied to computer simulation models. This effort will apply topology optimization techniques to predict the best design of the gear elements. This should enable significantly more efficient designs than those fabricated and tested in the Phase 1 program. This program will also explore a power transmission system that integrates gear and shaft into a single structure. It is hoped that this integrated system will benefit weight, noise and tolerance of misalignments.