Finite Element Simulation of Randomly Oriented Discontinuous Fiber Composite Rotor Blade with Variable Thickness

Abstract- Rotor blades fabricated from composites have traditionally been a costly alternative to aluminum constructions. New interest is being generated toward low-cost composites called randomly oriented discontinuous fiber composites (RODFC). The presented article investigates static analysis of RODFC rotor blades with variable thickness. The micromechanics of RODFC thin blade is obtained based on the Akasaka formulation and is compared with other homogenization methods. The RODFC blade is simulated in the commercial FE code, ABAQUS. The aero-dynamical pressure distribution due to centrifugal load is obtained by the CFD analysis in FLUENT software. Moreover of centrifugal load effect, the effect of variable thickness and geometry of fibers and resins as well as homogenization method are investigated on the stress-displacement distribution of blade, too. It is shown that, using RODFC material leads to obtain uniform stress distribution through the blade. Apparently, the reduction of stress is observed in blade compared with aluminum blades. Keywords - , ,,