Design of Carbon Composite Driveshaft for Ultralight Aircraft Propulsion System

Abstract

This paper deals with the design of the carbon fibre composite driveshaft. This driveshaft will be used for connection between piston engine and propulsor of the type of axial-flow fan. Three different versions of driveshaft were designed and produced. Version 1 if completely made of Al alloy. Version 2 is of hybrid design where the central part is made of high strength carbon composite and flanges are made of Al alloy. Adhesive bond is used for connection between flanges and the central CFRP tube. Version 3 differs from the version 2 by aplication of ultrahigh-strength carbon fibre on the central part. Dimensions and design conditions are equal for all three versions to obtain simply comparable results. Calculations of driveshafts are described in the paper.