Team 35 Shelf Insert Replacement for Honeycomb Structures. Sponsored by: Sikorsky Advisor: Michael Urban
Faculty Advisor Prof. Leila Ladani, Jonathan Coppola, Stephen King, Luke Gleason Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a division of United Technologies Corporation, is seeking a redesign of honeycomb shelf inserts to which electronics are fastened utilizing the emerging technology of Additive Manufacturing. In order to fasten anything to the lightweight, mostly hollow honeycomb shelves, inserts that accept threaded fasteners are used. The current inserts have been industry standard for over fifty years and are machined from steel. They are inserted into holes drilled into the shelves and bonded with epoxy. The Team’s goal was to improve the current insert design utilizing Additive Manufacturing capabilities. Without conventional manufacturing limitations the Team designed the new inserts to be lighter, stronger, and possess more surface area for the epoxy to bond to. By using the analytical software ANSYS and SolidWorks the Team designed and validated a new design of the insert. This validation came through subjecting, via simulation, both the old and new inserts to shear, tensile, and torsion tests to crash landing loading conditions the helicopter may encounter. Once 3D printed, the new inserts were physically tested in the same three criteria. The team modeled their testing to emulate that of the manufacturer’s; testing the shear, tensile and torsional strength of both inserts potted in a section of honeycomb shelf. After comparing the maximum loads each could withstand, the team concluded that Additive Manufacturing was indeed a viable and successful way to manufacture an improved insert. The project information can also be used to make recommendations regarding using Additive Manufacturing on a larger scale for a more vital component of the aircraft.
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