Rotor assembly having collective pitch control
First Claim
1. A rotor assembly for an aircraft operable to generate a variable thrust output at a constant rotational speed, the rotor assembly comprising:
- a mast rotatable at the constant speed about a mast axis;
a rotor hub coupled to and rotatable with the mast, the rotor hub including a plurality of spindle grips extending generally radially outwardly, each of the spindle grips operable to rotate about a pitch change axis and each of the spindle grips including a pinion gear;
a plurality of rotor blades each coupled to one of the spindle grips and rotatable about the respective pitch change axis; and
a collective pitch control mechanism coupled to and rotatable with the rotor hub, the collective pitch control mechanism including a spider assembly having a plurality of arms each including a rack gear that mates with one of the pinion gears;
wherein, actuation of the collective pitch control mechanism translates the spider assembly relative to the rotor hub to rotate each spindle grip about the respective pitch change axis to collectively control the pitch of the rotor blades, thereby generating the variable thrust output.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A rotor assembly for an aircraft operable to generate a variable thrust output at a constant rotational speed. The rotor assembly includes a mast rotatable at the constant speed about a mast axis. A rotor hub is coupled to and rotatable with the mast. The rotor hub includes a plurality of spindle grips extending generally radially outwardly. Each of the spindle grips is coupled to one of a plurality of rotor blades and is operable to rotate therewith about a pitch change axis. A collective pitch control mechanism is coupled to and rotatable with the rotor hub. The collective pitch control mechanism is operably associated with each spindle grip such that actuation of the collective pitch control mechanism rotates each spindle grip about the respective pitch change axis to collectively control the pitch of the rotor blades, thereby generating the variable thrust output.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A rotor assembly for an aircraft operable to generate a variable thrust output at a constant rotational speed, the rotor assembly comprising:
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a mast rotatable at the constant speed about a mast axis; a rotor hub coupled to and rotatable with the mast, the rotor hub including a plurality of spindle grips extending generally radially outwardly, each of the spindle grips operable to rotate about a pitch change axis and each of the spindle grips including a pinion gear; a plurality of rotor blades each coupled to one of the spindle grips and rotatable about the respective pitch change axis; and a collective pitch control mechanism coupled to and rotatable with the rotor hub, the collective pitch control mechanism including a spider assembly having a plurality of arms each including a rack gear that mates with one of the pinion gears; wherein, actuation of the collective pitch control mechanism translates the spider assembly relative to the rotor hub to rotate each spindle grip about the respective pitch change axis to collectively control the pitch of the rotor blades, thereby generating the variable thrust output. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An aircraft comprising:
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an airframe; a propulsion system attached to the airframe, the propulsion system including a plurality of propulsion assemblies each having a rotor assembly; and a flight control system operable to independently control each of the propulsion assemblies; the rotor assemblies each comprising; a mast rotatable at the constant speed about a mast axis; a rotor hub coupled to and rotatable with the mast, the rotor hub including a plurality of spindle grips extending generally radially outwardly, each of the spindle grips operable to rotate about a pitch change axis and each of the spindle grips including a pinion gear; a plurality of rotor blades each coupled to one of the spindle grips and rotatable about the respective pitch change axis; and a collective pitch control mechanism coupled to and rotatable with the rotor hub, the collective pitch control mechanism including a spider assembly having a plurality of arms each including a rack gear that mates with one of the pinion gears; wherein, actuation of the collective pitch control mechanism translates the spider assembly relative to the rotor hub to rotate each spindle grip about the respective pitch change axis to collectively control the pitch of the rotor blades, thereby generating the variable thrust output. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification