• Composites Research
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.337-344
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• 2021

In this study, the progressive failure behavior of the composite fan blade dovetail element under tensile loading is numerically investigated through finite element(FE) simulation. The accuracy of prediction by FE simulation is verified through tensile testing. The dovetail element is one of the joints for coupling the fan blade with the disk in a turbofan engine. The dovetail element is usually made of a metal material such as titanium, but the application of composite material is being studied for weight reduction reasons. However, manufacturing defects such as drop-off ply and resin pocket inevitably occur in realizing complex shapes of the fan blade made by composite materials. To investigate the effect of these manufacturing defects on the composite fan blade dovetail element, we performed numerical simulation with FE model to compare the prediction of the FE model and the tensile test results. At this time, the cohesive zone model is used to simulate the delamination behavior. Finally, we found that FE simulation results agree with test results when considering thermal residual stress and through-thickness compression enhancement effect.

• Composites Research
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.275-281
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• 2020

The mechanical property related to lap shear strength of the joint structure between carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite and metal (Ni-Cr Alloy) under varying environmental conditions (temperature and humidity) was studied in order to apply to the aircraft fan blade. Room temperature dry (RTD), elevated temperature wet (ETW), and cold temperature dry (CTD) environmental conditions were chosen for investigation based on the flight conditions of aircraft. Lap shear strength tests were conducted according to ASTM Standard D3528 to evaluate the shear strength. The microstructure characteristic of failure zone was analyzed by SEM images to check the adhesive shear strength with the three environmental conditions. In comparison with shear strength for the RTD condition, the shear strength in the ETW condition was reduced by 72.8% while those for the CTD condition increased by 56.5%. The moisture absorption and high temperature in ETW condition strongly had an affect on mechanical property of adhesive, while cold temperature could enhance the adhesive shear strength due to the higher brittleness.