*D*L*E H*A*N WITH

Clamps for transporting Blackhawk helicopter blades required strong structural castings with the precision to handle delicate composite material.
W. Sequeira, B. Anderson, J. Schweitzer and E. Peterson, Alion McNally Center for Production Technologies, Grantsburg, Wisconsin

C*A*R*E
R
otor blades for U.S. Army helicopters used to be titanium components that were handled easily with steel blade clamps, which attach to the blades during their removal and transportation. But engineers found a way to design even lighter blades using a honeycomb composite material. These blades, used on the M model of the UH-60 Blackhawk, weigh 250 lbs. and measure 22 ft. long. The blades fit the helicopter, but the old generation blade clamp didnt fit the blades. To remove a blade from the rotor hub of a helicopter, a clamp secures the blade at its lateral center of gravity and a hoist system is used to remove it from the hub and carry it away for storage. The new clamp had to be strong enough to support the weight of the blade, with a clamping pressure that did not damage the composite honeycomb structure. While a blade clamp was designed to service the M model blades in production, its weight and size made it unsuitable for long term use. Funded by the U.S. Army, Alion Science and Technology, Grantsburg, Wis., worked to develop a clamp for the new composite blades. Relying on the investment casting process for prototype castings, the firm arrived at a final design concept that would meet the demands of the U.S. military for mounting and dismounting Blackhawk rotor blades. Clamp Puts Crimp on Blades The new blade for the M model Blackhawk helicopter is a redesigned wire-core composite material. The cross section of a typical rotor blade is a classic airfoil design with a rounded leading edge and a sharp trailing edge (Fig. 1). The M model uses a wide-chord blade and contains a trim tab along its trailing edge. The delicate trim tabs on the trailing edge are made from a

CHOPPER BLADE Fig. 1. The cross section of a typical rotor blade has a rounded leading edge and a sharp trailing edge.

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titanium alloy. By virtue of the blade design, the trim tab is placed at the blades center of gravity, which is also the blade-clamping location. Early model blades are narrower, and blade clamps have been developed to service these with some success. But they are not ergonomically designed and have several design and operational drawbacks. Because old generation blades are made from an all-titanium alloy, the clamping force on the blade was a minimal concern. The previously-designed legacy clamp secures the blade at its center of gravity from the leading edge, and two outer screws are tightened to apply a clamping force on the blade (Fig. 2). Several inherent disadvantages plague the design: 1. The force used to secure the clamp creates a line force on the surface of the blade that may damage it and its sub-surface structure. 2. Because the blade clamp extends only halfway across the section in a clamping-ready position (from the leading edge), the blade is not fully secured. This has resulted in dropped blades during handling. To prevent this problem, a safety strap was added. However, for new generation blades, using the safety strap over the trim

tab to secure the blade is unacceptable. 3. Securing the blade typically takes 1015 minutes. First, the blade clamp is secured, and then the safety strap has to be tied around the trailing edge of the blade. Clamping the blade is done by feel and experience. 4. Once the blades are removed, they are placed in narrow slots (cradles) on a skid. Placing the blade on the skid is challenging because the clamp has to be removed at a pre-designated location away from the skid. Then the blade has to be physically lifted by two individuals and placed in the cradle. An ideal blade clamp would be one that could be lowered and unclamped directly into the cradle by one person. The same concept would be desirable when removing the blade from the cradle. 5. The current blade clamps are not designed to be used on other rotor blades, so they are not adaptable across other platforms. An ideal new blade clamp would have features that make it universally adaptable with minor modifications. Strong Investment Conceptually, the new blade clamp design would be a clam-shell design,

approaching the blade from the trailing edge. The prototype structural components would be manufactured from aluminum castings, which would allow the front plates to pivot and maintain clearance around the trailing edge and the trim tab. Two rear arm castings would pivot the two front plates and help nest the extended trailing edge and its trim tab between them. The blade clamp would be fully secured using a locking mechanism at the front of the plates. Some of the highlights of the new blade clamp include: the inside of the top and bottom plates would consist of rubber inlays to uniformly distribute the clamping pressure over the whole blade, therefore protecting it; the top plate would consist of a structural hoist extension to connect the blade clamp to the crane by means of a hoist bar. This would allow one person to perform a clamp and lift operation; appropriately rated safety locking mechanisms would be used at the front of the plates to firmly secure the blade clamp; an arm, or handle, would be incorporated at the rear of the clamp to facilitate easy lifting;

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Table 1. Mechanical Property Values for A356T6 Heat Treated Tensile Bar Samples
Cast Specimens Yield strength Ultimate tensile Elongation (ksi) strength (ksi) (%) Sand cast tensile bars A356T6 32.3 (+/-1.57) 41.02 (+/-1.36) 4.6 (+/-0.8) Investment cast tensile bars A356T6 29.7 (+/-2.32) 38.5 (+/-2.6) 5.2 (+/-1.3) Tensile samples from investment cast top and bottom plates A356T4 (excised samples) 18.9 (+/-0.53) 27.2 (+/-0.9) 4.5 (+/-0.53) Tensile samples from investment cast top and bottom plates A356T6 (excised samples) 30.3 (+/-0.74) 32.8 (+/-0.96) 2.75 (+/-0.46) Note: The mechanical properties of the samples excised from actual top and bottom plate castings in T4 and T6 temper are also listed. Values in brackets are standard deviation.

Table 2. Cost Comparison of Producing the Top Plate Casting via Investment Casting and Sand Casting
Process SLA/Tooling Unit Time Tolerance and costs price distortion Investment casting $500 $1,650 4 weeks Acceptable using SLA models (for SLA) (inclusive of SLA) tolerance, problems for prototyping with distortion Investment casting $10,000 $220 8-12 weeks Acceptable with tooling for (for tooling) tolerance, problems production with distortion Sand casting with $8,000 $120 8-12 weeks Acceptable tooling for (for tooling) tolerance, minimal production distortion Surface finish 125 RMS

125 RMS

250 RMS

on in the solidification, so the solidification in the walls is completed before the mold is completely saturated with heat. Once the mold is saturated with heat, it becomes a heat sink and relies on radiation and convection to promote further solidification. The mechanical properties obtained from thin-walled castings were evaluated during the course of the blade clamp design work (Table 1). A comparison of sand cast and investment cast tensile bars shows little difference in overall mechanical properties. Because the structural integrity of prototype castings made from investment and silica sand casting are similar for lower wall thickness ranges, any mechanical testing that is carried out on investment cast components is also valid for silica sand casting components. Final Exam A significant disadvantage of large, plate-like, prototype investment castings is that the mold is not constrained during solidification, which results in casting warpage. During the prototyping of castings, prototypes often must be obtained in a short timeframe to build a conceptual part. Justifying the expense of straightening tools and first inspection reports is difficult in these early stages. Making prototype castings for the blade clamp was no exception. A356 parts for the blade clamp were prototyped using SLA models and then initially heat treated to the T6 condition. Due to distortion of castings, subsequent parts were treated to the T4 condition, mechanically straightened in-house and then artificially aged to the T6 condition. As shown in Table 1, samples excised from specimens in the T4 condition show much higher ductility than those obtained in the T6 condition. Therefore, it is more prudent to straighten parts in

the top and bottom arms would be connected with linkages at the rear end of the blade clamp; the whole blade clamp with all its accessories would weigh 25-28 lbs.; the total length of the new blade clamp would be around 36 in., and the top plate would weigh 5.5 lbs. Cast A356 aluminum with T6 heat treatment was chosen for the structural components because of its low weight, superior mechanical properties and the ability to cast to near-net-shape with minimal machining. The top and bottom plates have a wall thickness in the range of 0.25-0.35 in. and are ribbed extensively for stiffness. The rear arms have a wall thickness of 0.5 in. Several variants of 356 aluminum are used for automotive and aerospace

applications. A356 alloy castings, after T6 heat treatment, typically develop highly desirable mechanical properties. Therefore, it was decided to prototype the structural components of the clamp using A356T6 castings produced via investment casting. Although it is sometimes perceived that investment cast A356T6 castings have inferior mechanical properties than those made from chemically bonded sand, the properties are comparable in castings with wall thicknesses of less than 0.5 in. Generally, the investment casting shell mold may not be efficient in imparting the cooling rates and temperature gradients necessary to promote the evolution of mechanical properties as in silica sand molds. However, the investment casting molds are efficient enough to impart the cooling rates and thermal gradients for thinner walls early

NO LASTING LEGACY Fig. 2. The design of the old blade clamp used on previous Blackhawk helicopter rotor blades was inadequate for the new blade design.

EARLY DRAFT An early prototype concept for the blade clamp design included extensive cutaways for weight saving, but some of these were later abandoned due to stiffness issues.

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T4 temper to prevent the risk tential of using the castings of cracking. across different platforms. The structural castings This made tooling costs were machined before assema consideration for both bly. The machining involved processes (Table 2). drilling boss areas to press-fit The major disadvantage of pivot bushings, machining investment casting was disan elongated slot in the host tortion of the top and bottom attachment area and drilling plate castings. To overcome holes in the rear arms for asthis issue, straightening tools sembly of the linkages. and their associated costs After machining, rubber had to be considered. The liners were glued on the inchemically-bonded silica side of the castings. The liners sand casting process offered helped make the blade clamp a significant advantage in this adaptable across varying respect. The casting remains platforms. Depending on the BURN-OUT Because only a few parts were needed for the prototype, SLA constrained in the mold until cross section of the blade, the burn-out models, shown here for the top plate casting, can be attached to a solidification is complete, rubber could be molded to fit wax rigging system for casting. which is expected to reduce different mold profiles. the casting distortion. MC Testing of the blade clamp was carAbout the Authors Prototype to Production ried out in two stages: W. Sequeira, B. Anderson, J. Schweitzer and E. 1. A wooden mock-up of the cross-secBoth the investment casting process Peterson work with the Alion McNally Center for tion was made, and the blade clamp Production Technologies, Grantsburg, Wis., which and the chemically-bonded silica sand provides engineering solutions to the U.S. military. was loaded to 250 lbs. for a fitness casting process were considered pocheck. Problems were noted for cortential manufacturing methods for proFor More Information rective action. duction blade clamp castings. Casting Aluminum Structural Castings: Following Aircrafts 2. The blade clamp was loaded to 500 volumes were considered equivalent to Lead, D. Heck, MODERN CASTING, May 2004, p. 42. lbs., which is twice that of a typical small lot production because of the poblade, and then unloaded. The castings were inspected using fluorescent liquid penetrant per military standards to check for surface defects of external damage. Sensitivity Level 2 was used for acceptance standards. A 250-lb. in-house lift test using a wooden mock-up revealed a significant gap between the top plate and the top surface of the mock-up. A subsequent fitness check on a rotor blade revealed a similar problem (Fig. 3). It was determined that the following were the root causes of the problem and needed corrective action: The rubber inlay on the inside of the bottom plate compressed due to the weight. CLOSE THE GAP Fig. 3. A fitness check on an actual helicopter rotor blade using an early The interference fit linkages had prototype revealed a gap between the top plate and the top surface of the blade, which was excess tolerance, which had to be resolved in later clamp designs. reduced or eliminated. The castings stiffness was inadequate. Corrective actions involved changing the rubber on the bottom plate to one of higher hardness, avoiding weight savers and tightening the tolerances in the linkages. Adding ribs to the top and bottom plate and combining the top plate and top arm into a single-piece rigid casting could increase the stiffness. Several of these corrective actions have FINAL DRAFT Fig. 4. An advanced prototype of the blade clamp shows modifications to the been implemented in the final design hoist extension area and incorporation of the hoist bar. The final plan will incorporate the hoist extension to the final casting. successfully (Fig. 4).
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