Advanced Manufacturing Methods for Composite Gearbox Housings for Rotorcraft

New composite manufacturing technology is urgently needed to improve rotocraft (and non-rotocraft) performance via further integration of composite materials. Recently, Advanced Ceramics Manufacturing (ACM) developed a system of water soluble composites tooling materials that has potential to advance the state composite manufacturing. A team comprised of Advanced Ceramics Manufacturing (ACM) and the University of Delaware integrating state of the art composite processes with ACM’s water soluble technology to produce composite structures with integrated fluid passages. The objective of this proposal is to adapt composite manufacturing processes and ACM’s water soluble tooling technology to produce integrated fluid passages in composite structures. The proposed methods and technology developed will yield a low cost manufacturing technology for producing complex rotocraft structures.