The Manufacture and Testing of Perforated Composite Acoustic Panels

...................................................................................................... iii List of Figures ............................................................................................ vii List of Tables ............................................................................................ xvi Acknowledgements ................................................................................. xviii Author's Declaration ................................................................................ xix Chapter 1: Project Introduction ................................................................ 1 1.1 A Short History of Composites in the Commercial Aerospace Industry ..................................... 1 1.2 Manufacturing Aerospace Composites ..................................................................................... 11 1.3 Project Introduction.................................................................................................................. 17 1.4 Project Objectives ..................................................................................................................... 22 1.5 Project Approach ...................................................................................................................... 23 Chapter 2: Literature Review .................................................................. 25 2.1 Industrial Review ...................................................................................................................... 25 2.2 Biomimetic Design Considerations .......................................................................................... 31 2.3 Preforming ................................................................................................................................ 34 Chapter 3: Manufacturing Trials ............................................................ 36 3.1 The Acoustic Liner Panels (ALPs) of the AS-907 Outer Fan Duct (OFD) ............................... 36 3.2 Selecting Alternative Materials ................................................................................................ 38 3.3 Alternative RFI Processing Methodologies .............................................................................. 45 v 3.4 Viable Pin Materials ................................................................................................................. 49 3.5 Water Soluble Tooling .............................................................................................................. 54 3.5.1 AquacoreTM/AquapourTM ........................................................................................................... 54 3.5.2 Ceramcor .................................................................................................................................. 57 3.6 Reusable Tooling ...................................................................................................................... 66 3.6.1 FlexPerf ..................................................................................................................................... 67 3.7 Pin Material Development Conclusions ................................................................................... 76 3.8 Thin Laminate Testing Trials .................................................................................................... 76 3.8.1 Background ............................................................................................................................... 76 3.8.2 Approach .................................................................................................................................. 77 3.8.3 Compression Test Trials ............................................................................................................ 79 3.8.4 ILSS Trials .................................................................................................................................. 82 3.8.5 Test Trial Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 84 Chapter 4: Mechanical and Physical Material Characterisation ......... 85 4.