Flight Service Evaluation of Composite Components on Bell 206L and Sikorsky S-76 Helicopters

Flight Service Evaluation of Composite Components on Bell 206L and Sikorsky S-76 Helicopters PDF

Author: Donald J. Baker

Publisher:

Published: 1983

Total Pages: 20

ISBN-13:

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Progress on two programs to evaluate composite structural components in flight service on commercial helicopters is described. Thirty-six ship sets of composite components that include the litter door, baggage door, forward fairing, and vertical fin have been installed on Bell Model 206L helicopters that are operating in widely different climatic areas. Four horizontal stabilizers and ten tail rotor spars that are production components on the S-76 helicopter will be tested after prescribed periods of service to determine the effects of the operating environment on their performance. Concurrent with the flight evaluation, specimens from materials used to fabricate the components are being exposed in ground racks and tested at specified intervals to determine the effects of outdoor environments. Results achieved from 14,000 hours of accumulated service on the 206L components, tests on a S-76 horizontal stabilizer after 1600 hours of service, tests on a S-76 tail rotor spar after 2300 hours service, and two years of ground based exposure of material coupons are reported. (Author).

Flight Service Evaluation of Composite Components on the Bell Helicopter Model 206l

Flight Service Evaluation of Composite Components on the Bell Helicopter Model 206l PDF

Author: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2018-07-17

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13: 9781723080838

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This is the final report on the advanced composite components which were placed in service on the 206L LongRanger helicopters in the continental United States, Canada, and Alaska. This report covers all test data which was gathered, as well as maintenance histories of the parts. The previous reports describe the fabrication, service experiences, and test data through 1986. This report contains information from these references, as well as data gathered after 1986. The status of the 40 sets of components is discussed. Each set consisted of a vertical fin, forward fairing, litter door, and baggage door. Almost 500,000 flight hours were accumulated on the 160 parts, with the high-time part accumulating 14,687 flight hours. Over 60 percent of the parts were destructively tested to measure strength and stiffness retention over the course of the program. The vertical fins had the greatest strength retention followed by the litter doors. The baggage doors had the poorest retention of strength. There was very little difference in property retention between the four primary operating regions: Northwest U.S., Southwest U.S., Gulf of Mexico Coastal Region, and the Northeast U.S. and Eastern Canada Region. The field problems have ranged from two lightning-struck fins to significant delaminations in the baggage doors. There was only one environmentally related field incident, in which the glass windows on the litter doors were found to loosen due to high temperatures experienced in the southwest region. Wilson, Henry Unspecified Center AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE; BELL AIRCRAFT; COMPOSITE MATERIALS; FLIGHT TESTS; HELICOPTERS; MATERIALS TESTS; DELAMINATING; DOORS; FABRICATION; FINS; HIGH TEMPERATURE ENVIRONMENTS...

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