Bird-Strike Analysis on Hybrid Composite Fan Blade: Blade-Level Validation

Bird strikes have long been a source of concern for all airlines across the world. It is the most significant design criterion for aircraft engine fan blades. As it is not practical to manufacture and test aviation engines repeatedly for minor design modifications, simulation analysis can be used to investigate strategies to reduce the influence of a bird strike on a jet engine by employing proper design and manufacturing processes for blades. This study proposes using two fibers (hybrid) instead of the single-fiber composite blade presently in use to address delamination problems. As an idea validation test, the coupon-level analysis results are validated using a four-point bend test of similar-size coupons. Following this validation, dynamic analysis is used to investigate the impact behavior of a rectangular plate subjected to a bird strike. The current research focuses on analyzing bird strikes on a hybrid composite fan blade using blade-level models. This study concentrates on the position of the bird's impact and the joint region length of two materials. The results show that the joint region with a 40% length of glass composite shows the optimum level of normalized interlaminar shear strain in all three impact locations.

Automated summary

Bird strikes are a major concern for airlines worldwide, especially for aircraft engine fan blades. Simulations can be used to explore strategies to minimize the impact of bird strikes on jet engines through proper design and manufacturing processes. This study suggests using hybrid composite blades with two types of fibers to address delamination issues. Validation tests and dynamic analysis were conducted to investigate the impact behavior of a rectangular plate subjected to a bird strike. The research focuses on analyzing bird strikes on hybrid composite fan blades, particularly the impact position and joint region length of the materials. The results indicate that a joint region with 40% length of glass composite shows the optimal level of normalized interlaminar shear strain in all impact locations.