DAMAGE TOLERANCE TESTING OF SH-2 SEASPRITE COMPOSITE MAIN ROTOR BLADE

Structural performance of composite components can be affected by the presence of inherent or latent manufacturing anomalies. In order to fully evaluate the impact of these flaws and their associated failure modes in an all composite rotor blade, Kaman Aerospace developed a full scale damage tolerance fatigue test. This paper discusses the steps required to develop this test, including load derivation and specimen preparation, the philosophy of the test, and the application of the results to quality acceptance criteria.