Browse Topic: Advanced manufacturing
Maintaining the operational readiness of military helicopters demands repair solutions that are fast, reliable, and adaptable. This paper presents the integration of Gamma Alloys' advanced metal matrix composites (MMCs) into additive manufacturing (AM) techniques - specifically Cold Spray and Friction Stir Additive Manufacturing (FSAM) - as a transformative approach to helicopter repair and replace for the US Army.
Hybrid additive manufacturing (AM) and subtractive manufacturing (SM) processes utilize the combination of AM (e.g., LPBF and DED) and SM (e.g., milling and turning operations) to produce the final part. Due to the poor surface roughness resulting from the uneven melting of powders in AM, the subtractive process is a necessary finishing operation to improve the surface roughness of the AM part. The hybrid AM/SM technology combines the benefits of AM and SM processes to create complex geometry while introducing good surface finish and compressive stress to prevent crack initiation. However, the relationship between large process parameter space and the residual stress/distortion in the part is not well understood, which impedes the adoption of hybrid AM/SM to minimize the residual stress in the final product. To expedite the process optimization, we establish a pipeline for the sequential modeling of additive manufacturing (AM) and subtractive manufacturing (SM) processes. Key
Helicopter pilots are exposed to a wide range of vibration frequencies, primarily generated by engine and rotor dynamics. These vibrations, particularly within the 0.5–80 Hz range, pose significant risks to pilot health, including musculoskeletal injuries and fatigue. To mitigate these effects, vibration isolators are employed, with passive and active isolation systems offering different advantages. This study investigates the initial design and performance of a novel metal additive manufactured vibration isolator, optimized for placement under the pilot's seat in a rotorcraft simulator. The isolator was designed with key structural parameters including stiffness, coil dimensions, and material properties while maintaining a lightweight and durable form, with a primary goal of validating the additive manufacturing of a metallic isolator. Experimental corroboration was conducted by incorporating modifications to the Gannon Biomechanics Flight Simulator test stand (GBFS), comparing the
This paper presents the design and development of a swashplateless micro helicopter with a target endurance of more than 30 minutes using an optimized direct drive rotor connected to a unique rotor hub that has blades with a flap hinge and proprietary skewed-lag hinge with pitch-lag kinematic coupling. This obviates the need for conventional swashplate based cyclic pitch control, as the cyclic variation in control angle is achieved by cyclically varying the motor RPM. UP12 underactuated propulsion system developed by VertiQ is used for the baseline design. The blades in this propulsion system are optimized using Blade Element Momentum Theory (BEMT) analysis with lookup table to enhance its performance. BEMT is validated using experimental measurements and then used to optimize the geometry of the rotor. The optimized blades offer better performance and are 30% lighter than the original 3D-printed plastic blades. The prototyping of the Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) is completed by
In the proposed article, the authors will focus on two manufacturing method FUSED FILAMENT FABRICATION (FFF) and FUSED DEPOSITION MODELING (FDM) showing examples of application in aviation production and the resulting benefits.
Items per page:
50
1 – 50 of 1100