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Hartzell ASC-II™ Composite Propeller Receives First European Certification.

Date: July 2, 2007 Category: Press Releases
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EASA TC also covers aluminum bladed propellers.

 

PIQUA, Ohio – July 2, 2007 – Hartzell Propeller Inc. announced

today that it has received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)

approval for their three-bladed ASC-II propeller. The approval also

marks the first U.S. propeller manufacturer to receive an EASA Type

Certificate. The new certification applies to all Hartzell J3F

Compact Series 3-bladed propellers, including the PHC-J3YF-1N/N7605

ASC-II propeller, which is currently installed on the Cirrus SR22.

 

About the ASC-II

Hartzell’s ASC-II is the first FAA certified advanced structural

composite propeller developed specifically for the general aviation

market.

 

Hartzell’s ASC-II is the result of the company’s nearly 30 year

experience in the design and manufacture of advanced structural

composite propellers. The Hartzell ASC-II is an optimized design

mated to a proprietary, Hartzell-developed manufacturing process. The

result is an advanced structural composite propeller that delivers

all of the advantages provided by Hartzell’s first generation of

composite propellers – low weight, low inertia, and low life cycle

costs – while minimizing the major disadvantage: the high cost

manufacturing process.

 

The Hartzell ASC-II consists of a unique monocoque structure of

advanced composite materials.  Its carbon / Kevlar® laminate is

integrated into a co-molded stainless steel shank.  The outboard half

of the leading edge is protected with a co-molded electroformed

nickel erosion shield.  Aluminum mesh is embedded into the laminate

for lightning protection.

 

The new design offers numerous benefits to aircraft owners:

 

  • Lighter weight – Hartzell’s ASC-II blades weigh 30% less per

blade than comparable metal blades, providing greater useful load and

moving the aircraft center of gravity away from the propeller, often

creating more versatile loading capability.

 

  • Lower inertia – Propellers with ASC-II blades provide dramatic

reductions in inertia, which is vitally important for aerobatic

aircraft to minimize the gyroscopic effects of the propeller and

often means lower vibration and smoother operation for GA aircraft.

 

  • More durable – Properly maintained, the Hartzell ASC-II blade will

never require replacement because, unlike a metal blade, its surface

can be restored.  While erosion of metal blades eventually requires

blade replacement, erosion damage to the Hartzell ASC-II blade can be

repaired.  The durability and repairability of the Hartzell ASC-II

results in lower maintenance costs over its life.

 

  • Higher performance – Typically composite blades can not quite

match the performance of metal blades, since metal blades can be

produced with the thin airfoil sections needed for maximum

performance.  The use of carbon in combination with Hartzell’s

proprietary manufacturing process yields a strong, yet thin,

monocoque structure that permits the use of thinner airfoil sections

at the blade tips and performance comparable to metal.

 

  • Higher strength – The Hartzell ASC-II uses carbon and Kevlar®

materials to make the structural part of the blade, creating an

extremely high strength advanced structural composite blade that is

stronger than other composite propeller blades.

 

  • Proven design – Passing the rigorous certification process

provides assurance that the Hartzell ASC-II design is well proven.

As the only certified advanced structural composite propeller in the

GA market, the Hartzell ASC-II has lived through a simulated

encounter with a 4 pound bird at rotation, taken a direct hit of

200,000 amps of electricity to prove that it can survive an encounter

with lightning, and withstood a direct pull of 132,000 pounds

reaching the limit of the test fixture without failing (6.8 times the

normal Cf load) to demonstrate a safety margin in the event of an

engine overspeed. These special tests were performed in addition to

the normal battery of fatigue and endurance tests designed to

demonstrate that the propeller will have a long useful life and

flight tests that ensure stress levels fall within allowable limits

for safety.

 

 

About Hartzell

Hartzell Propeller Inc. is widely recognized as the leader in

advanced propeller design and manufacturing technology. The company

has recently developed the next generation of propellers based upon

innovative “blended airfoil” technology and is manufacturing these

blades on revolutionary machining centers or with its new ASC-II™

composite technology to provide mission optimized performance for its

customers. Hartzell traces its beginnings in 1917 to a relationship

with Orville Wright and was founded on the principal of “Built on

Honor” – a tradition that continues today. For more information

visit the company on the web at www.hartzellprop.com

Hartzell Propeller