Containment capability of 2D triaxial braided tape wound composite casing for aero‐engine

Two‐dimensional (2D) triaxial braided composites have been successfully used in aero‐engine fan containment system for weight reduction. In the current study, blade containment tests were conducted on high‐speed rotor spin tester to investigate the containment process and failure mechanisms of the composite casing. The composite casing was fabricated by winding 2D carbon fiber triaxial braided tape on a capstan into predetermined thickness and then infused with epoxy resin. Test results indicate that the damages to the containment casing increase significantly with the increase in blade released speed. In contained case, two damaged areas can be observed on the inner wall of the casing due to continued impacts of the released blade. However in uncontained case, a perforated hole was found in the casing. Finite element method was used to study this high‐speed impact process using LS‐DYNA. The influence of blade release speed and case thickness was also analyzed and found that the failure modes turns from tension to shear as the blade speed increases and casing is able to absorb more energy with increase in casing areal density. An empirical equation was derived for the triaxial braided composite casing, which can help in the design of the composite fan casing for aero‐engine. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:2227–2242, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers