Cost and Weight Reduction of V-22 Composite Drive Shafts

The need to minimize structural weight in meeting range and performance goals has driven the V-22 to a heavy reliance on composite materials. Among the V-22 composite structures are the pylon drive shafts which inter-connect each engine to both rotors, and allow emergency V-22 single engine operation. However, current composite shafts are known to have limited durability under high heat conditions. Hence the need to develop high temperature composite shaft design and process. Current shaft fabrication techniques include the well-known filament winding method, and the less well-known belt-wrapping method. The belt-wrap approach offers several advantages over the filament winding approach, including: low void content; and 0 degree lay-up capability. The opportunity presented by this proposal is to develop an optimized belt-wrap specific shaft design based on a high Tg resin system. Secondary design issues associated with the stability of the belt-wrap skive joint will also be investigated. Prior to completion of Phase I, a design demonstration article will be fabricated and tested to validate the methodology and material selection.