Technologies and problems of composite materials mechanics for production of outlet guide vane for aircraft jet engine

The goal of this work is an analysis of modern technologies and problem definitions of mechanics of composite materials for production of outlet guide vane for new domestic aviation propulsion PD-14, planned for installation on the short-range and mid-range jet aircraft MS-21. Outlet guide vanes (OGV), also called flow straightening vanes, are radially disposed behind the fan to straighten out the airflow to reduce losses in the outer contour of the engine. Considering a large number of vanes in the engine, the weight reduction can be very significant due to using polymer composite materials (PCM) instead of the metal in OGV. It is predicted that the weight reduction of each vane, at certain approach to design, can reach 40 %. The results of literature search of composite materials application in the details of fan for aircraft jet engines of world top manufacturers are presented in this paper. The analysis of advanced techniques for production of composite outlet guide vane, such as prepreg technology with autoclave molding, resin transfer molding (RTM), the use of thermoplastic binders and press-materials was carried out. It was noted that the formulation and solution of complex problems of engineering mechanics of composite materials are necessary for high-rate realization of mechanical properties in constructions and reducing the occurrence of defects. The possible problem definitions of deformable solid body mechanics, describing such processes as filtration, physical and chemical conversion, visco-elastic-plastic deformation in heterogeneous medium, typical for composite materials production cycle were considered. The influence of autoclave molding parameters on the mechanical properties of several types of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) was analyzed. Using the equations of mechanics of laminated composite plates and shells we calculated effective elastic and strength properties of quasi-isotropic CFRP. A comparative estimate of the effectiveness of composite materials application in the design of OGV was obtained.