SIMULATION OF PREPREG LAYOUT ON CURVILINEAR SURFACES USING THE EXAMPLE OF A UAV PROPELLER

Anton Balalaiev, Kateryna Balalaieva, Artem Kovtun, Grygoriy Golembiyevskyy, Halina Nikitina

Abstract


The study's object is a composite UAV propeller with a peripheral diameter of 400 mm. The study focuses on modeling the propeller prepreg layout. The aim of the work is to evaluate the effect of accounting for interfiber shear processes when modeling prepreg layout on curved surfaces, using a UAV propeller as an example in the Ansys software environment. Tasks: 1. Modeling the propeller streamlining in a given speed range in order to obtain a distributed aerodynamic load on the propeller surface. 2. Modeling the mechanical characteristics of the UAV propeller and analyzing the stress-strain state of the propeller without taking into account interfiber shear processes. 3. Modeling the mechanical characteristics of the UAV propeller and analyzing the stress-strain state of the propeller taking into account interfiber shear processes. The work employs a comprehensive numerical method that combines aerodynamic modeling of the propeller with finite element analysis of the composite propeller's stress-strain state. Results. A comparison of propeller stress-strain modeling results reveals differences in strain and stress distributions between models constructed with and without draping. Accounting for interfiber shear processes in draping models enables assessment of the impact of prepreg layup technology on the composite blade's stress-strain state. Unlike the nominal ply orientation approach, this formulation of the problem accounts for changes in reinforcing fiber direction that occur during composite shell formation on a complex geometric surface. This allows for an analysis of the impact of process-induced fiber orientation deviations on the stiffness, strain, and stress distribution within the structure. The maximum strains and maximum equivalent stresses for the studied propeller, calculated using different modeling approaches, differ by approximately 5–7% and 4–5%, respectively. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that the obtained results of prepreg layup modeling on curved surfaces, using the example of a UAV propeller, demonstrate the need to account for process-induced fiber reorientation in the numerical analysis of the structure.


Keywords


prepreg, draping, interfiber shear, propeller, maximum deformations, maximum equivalent stresses, mathematical modeling

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.32620/aktt.2026.4sup2.09