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Published in:
2019 | OriginalPaper | Chapter
11. Westland Lynx Rotor Hub (1998): Progression Marking LEFM Analysis
Authors : Russell Wanhill, Simon Barter, Loris Molent
Published in: Fatigue Crack Growth Failure and Lifing Analyses for Metallic Aircraft Structures and Components
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
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Abstract
In November1998 a Westland Lynx helicopter, operated by the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN), lost a rotor blade and then the rotor head just before take-off from the RNLN base at Den Helder, the Netherlands. Figure 11.1a shows the helicopter at an earlier date with an indication of the failure location. The failure was caused by fatigue and fracture of the so-called yellow arm of the rotor hub. Figure 11.1b shows the outboard part of the fracture, which was across an elliptical plane section. The rotor hub, with GKN Westland (GKNW) designation M323, failed after 3591.9 service hours, well below the overall design safe retirement life of 5000 h minimum and 8600 h at the failure location [144].