APPLICATION OF FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS IN EFFECTIVE DESIGN OF FLIGHT CONTROL CIRCUITS IN A TYPICAL LIGHT HELICOPTER

Mallikarjun R Killedar, Ramesh Katti, Palli Naresh Babu

Abstract: The objective of this project work is to effectively design and analyze the helicopter flight control circuits. The design process involves FE method to assess the directional control circuit. Displacement, stress, strain energy values are obtained for the circuit for different load cases and optimum design is obtained for safe helicopter flight controls for critical maneuvers. In a helicopter the rotor blade is operated using mechanical flight control system consisting of elements like push-pull rod, links, bell crank levers, structural supporting brackets etc. There is a certain amount of reduction in stiffness and strength of elements of the circuit due to stretch in these elements resulting in false control surface deflections. This project work focuses on the application of FEM in design, analysis and optimization of directional flight control circuit using ALTAIR HYPERMESH and MSC NASTRAN software’s. FEM techniques have been extensively used in this study to simulate the control circuit mechanism.

Keywords: directional control circuit, finite element analysis, displacement, strain energy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2015.0405088