CONTROLLABLE PITCH BLADE NON-DUCTED PROPELLER FOR JET ENGINE

• US 20100239421A1
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safran Aircraft Engine Company
• Original Assignee: Snecma (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Bouru, Michel Andre, BOSTON, Eric Jacques, Joly, Philippe Gérard Edmond, Jablonski, Laurent, Fabre, Adrien Jacques Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 8,382,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 416/136
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 11/06 for variable-pitch blades
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 11/48 Units of two or more coaxial propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/026 comprising different types of power plants, e.g. combination of a piston engine and a gas-turbine Hybrid electric aircraft B64D27/33
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/323 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

Controllable pitch blade non-ducted propeller for a jet engine, comprising a rotor member comprising radial housing for mounting blade support plates, each plate being attached in a ring centered and guided in rotation in a housing of the rotor member and comprising external toothing engaged and locked in internal toothing of the ring, to withstand the centrifugal forces to which the propeller blades are subjected in operation.

Claims

1. Controllable pitch blade non-ducted propeller for a jet engine, the propeller blades being rotatably mounted about the axes thereof in radial housings of an annular rotor member and each blade being supported by a cylindrical body plate whereon a cylindrical ring is attached, centered and guided in rotation by bearings in a radial housing of the rotor member, wherein, the ring being engaged in the housing by radial translation from the inside and the plate being engaged in said housing by radial translation from the outside, the internal surface of the ring and the external surface of the cylindrical body of the plate comprise complementary protruding teeth enabling radial translation of the teeth of the body of the plate between the teeth of the ring and the radial retention of the teeth of the body of the plate by the teeth of the ring, after rotating the plate in relation to the ring by a predetermined angle.

2. Propeller according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical body of the plate comprises three teeth each having an angular span of approximately 60°

, which are regularly distributed about the axis of the cylindrical body.

3. Propeller according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical body of the plate comprises two teeth each having an angular span of approximately 90°

and which are diametrically opposed in relation to the axis of the cylindrical body.

4. Propeller according to claim 1, wherein the internal surface of the ring and the external surface of the body of the plate may each comprise at least two annular rows of teeth, the first and second row of teeth of the ring being, in a normal position for mounting and use, situated respectively radially outside the first and the second row of teeth of the body of the plate.

5. Propeller according to claim 4, wherein the teeth of the first row of the body of the plate press radially outward on the teeth of the first row of the ring, in the normal position for mounting and use.

6. Propeller according to claim 5, wherein the teeth of the second row of the body of the plate are separated, in said normal position, from the teeth of the second row of the ring by a radial distance of not more than a few tenths of a millimeter and for example between 0.1 and 0.2 mm.

7. Propeller according to claim 5, wherein the first row of teeth of the body of the plate is situated radially inside the second row of teeth of said body.

8. Propeller according to claim 4, wherein the teeth of the first and second row of the body of the plate press radially outward on the teeth of the first and second rows of the ring, respectively, in said normal position for mounting and use.

9. Propeller according to claim 5, wherein the teeth of the or each row of the body of the plate press against the corresponding teeth of the ring by a cylindrical tooth bearing having a dimension in the radial direction, in relation to the axis of the body of the plate, greater than or equal to 1.5 mm.

10. Propeller according to claim 4, wherein the teeth of each row of the ring are regularly distributed about the axis of the ring and are each aligned in the radial direction with a tooth of the other row of the ring, and the teeth of each row of the body of the plate are regularly distributed about the axis of said body and are each aligned in the radial direction with a tooth of the other row of the body of the plate.

11. Propeller according to claim 1, wherein it comprises means for locking the body of the plate in rotation in the ring.

12. Propeller according to claim 11, wherein the locking means comprise wedges in the form of cylinder sectors inserted circumferentially between the teeth of the cylindrical body of the plate and the ring.

13. Propeller according to claim 12, wherein the wedges are engaged between said teeth by radial translation and are held in place by a nut screwed onto the ring.

14. Propeller according to claim 13, wherein an annular washer is inserted between the wedges and the nut screwed onto the ring, said washer comprising first means engaging via shape connections with complementary means of at least one of the wedges, and second means engaging via shape connections with complementary means of the nut, to lock the nut in rotation with respect to the ring.

15. Propeller according to claim 12, wherein the wedges and the ring press in the axis of the housing on an external annular edge of the body of the plate.

16. Propeller according to claim 1, wherein the ring is centered and guided in rotation in the housing of the polygonal ring by two coaxial bearings, one of which is mounted between an annular internal edge of the rotor housing and an annular external edge of the ring, at the radially external edge thereof, the other being mounted between an annular external edge of the ring, at the radially internal edge thereof, and a nut screwed into the rotor housing from the radially internal end of said housing.

17. Propeller according to claim 16, wherein the internal surface of the ring comprises two coaxial annular rows of teeth, which are substantially aligned in the transverse direction, in relation to the axis of the ring, with the external annular edges thereof, respectively.

18. Propeller according to claim 16, wherein an annular washer is inserted between the other bearing and the nut screwed into the housing, said washer comprising first means engaging via shape connections with complementary means of the housing, and second means engaging via shape connections with complementary means of the nut, to lock the nut in rotation in the rotor housing.

19. Propeller according to claim 1, wherein the plate and the ring are connected to rotation drive means by connection means housed inside the body of the plate, comprising a planet pinion or gear.

20. Propeller according to claim 1, wherein each housing of the rotor member is closed at the radially internal end thereof using an annular cover screwed onto the rotor member and pressing against the radially internal end of the ring housed in said housing.

21. Jet engine, wherein it comprises at least one propeller according to any of the above claims.