This paper describes the effects of curvature on the structural dynamics of composite rotor blades, analyzed using a 2-D finite element code, SectionBuilder, coupled with a comprehensive analysis code, Dymore. Efforts were made to validate this approach for curved beam models, including the examination of both stresses and modes. For this paper, cross-sectional blade models consisting of both a titanium spar and composite spar were analyzed under centrifugal loading for both a hingeless and fully-articulated rotor, with the effect of various levels of curvature on the modes and stresses presented. The present analysis shows that curvature can be used to significantly alter the dynamic response of the rotor system, but comes at the expense of increasing the stress levels within the blades.
展开▼
