Application of C/PEKK UD Tape for Welded Aircraft Movables
A trade study for a single aisle aircraft rudder
S. al jaberi (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
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Abstract
In a strive to further improve the performance of Aircraft movables the performance of Carbon fibre PolyEtherKetoneKetone (C/PEKK) on component level was assessed in this study. In this study 3 concepts were designed for a fictitious Next Signle Aisle aircraft (NSA) rudder to perform a trade-off between the two composite materials and the two stiffening concepts. An existing C/PPS multi-rib rudder concept is used as a reference. Specified requirements were elaborated to create a C/PEKK based multi-rib rudder redesign. Two multi-rib concepts, each with a different minimum skin thickness, were made and compared. The weight and cost of these two concepts was found to be nearly equal. Alternative stiffening concepts for the multi-rib were generated in collaboration with experts. Grid-stiffening (GS) of the skin using a short fibre reinforced composite was selected. The GS skin allowed most of the ribs to be omitted so that part count and assembly effort could be reduced. The multi-rib concept proved to be the lightest, regardless of the used material. The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of some manufacturing processes for C/PEKK is low and requires more development. The C/PEKK rudder shall be a viable option in the near future when all envisioned manufacturing concepts and welding of C/PEKK tape become available. The GS rudder requires more research and development. The short fibre material and manufacturing process of the grid have a low TRL and are not yet qualified. A discrete model of the GS skin is also required to better understand the behaviour of the rudder. Thus the GS rudder is expected to be a viable solution in the long term future.