ADJUSTABLE BLADE-TO-HUB LEAD-LAG DAMPER ATTACHMENT

• US 20150336664A1
• Filed: 05/21/2014
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated (Textron Inc)
• Original Assignee: Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated (Textron Inc)
• Inventors: Rauber, Richard E., Yuce, Mithat, Newman, Thomas J., Wiinikka, Mark A., Parham, Thomas C. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,656,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/51 Damping of blade movements
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/54 Mechanisms for controlling blade adjustment or movement relative to rotor head, e.g. lag-lead movement
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/58 Transmitting means, e.g. interrelated with initiating means or means acting on blades means acting on blades B64C27/72
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/59 mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/635 specially for controlling lag-lead movements of blades
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/045 with at least a pair of arms pivoting relatively to at least one other arm, all arms being mounted on one pin crank-pins F16C11/02
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/0614 the female part of the joint being open on two sides
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/0695 Mounting of ball-joints, e.g. fixing them to a connecting rod
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 23/02 Sliding-contact bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2326/43 Aeroplanes; Helicopters in general B64C

Abstract

An aircraft includes a rotor blade and a rotor hub system. The rotor hub system includes a lead-lag damper having a rod end and being operably associated with the rotor blade; a blade adapter having a first arm and an opposing second arm; a pin carried by the blade adapter and configured to secure in position via the first arm and the second arm; and an actuator secured to the pin and configured to adjust the position of the lead-lag rod end relative to the first arm and the second arm.

Claims

1. A rotor hub system for an aircraft, comprising:

a lead-lag damper operably associated with a rotor blade of the aircraft;

a blade adapter, having;

a first arm and an opposing second arm;

a pin carried by the blade adapter and configured to secure in position via the first arm and the second arm; and

a first spacer and a second spacer, both spacers being configured to receive the pin therethrough and configured to retain a rod end of the lead-lag damper secured to the pin at an optimal distance relative to the first and second spacers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first spacer and the second spacer each have a longitudinal length;

and wherein the longitudinal length of the first spacer is less than the longitudinal length of the second spacer, thus retaining the rod end at a non-equal distance between the first arm and the second arm.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first spacer and the second spacer each have a longitudinal length;

and wherein the longitudinal length of the first spacer is equal to the longitudinal length of the second spacer, thus retaining the rod end at an equal distance between the first arm and the second arm.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the rotor hub system is an articulate rotor hub system.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the articulated rotor hub system is a soft-in-plane assembly.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the rotor hub system is operably associated with at least three rotor blades.

8. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the pin is a threaded helical pin;

wherein rotation of the helical pin causes movement of the rod end between the first arm and the second arm.

7. An aircraft, comprising:

a rotor blade; and

a rotor hub system, having;

a lead-lag damper having a rod end and being operably associated with the rotor blade;

a blade adapter, having;

a first arm and an opposing second arm;

a pin carried by the blade adapter and configured to secure in position via the first arm and the second arm; and

an actuator secured to the pin and configured to adjust the position of the lead-lag rod end relative to the first arm and the second arm.

9. The aircraft of claim 7, wherein the aircraft is a helicopter.

10. The aircraft of claim 9, wherein the rotor hub system is an articulate rotor hub system.

11. The aircraft of claim 10, wherein the articulated rotor hub system is a soft-in-plane assembly.

12. The aircraft of claim 7, wherein the rotor hub system is operably associated with at least three rotor blades.

13. The aircraft of claim 7, wherein the actuator is autonomously controlled.

14. A method to increase flight performance of an aircraft, comprising:

providing the aircraft of claim 7; and

adjusting the position of the rod end relative to the first arm and the second arm via the actuator.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the process of adjusting the position of the rod end is achieved via a helical threaded rod operably associated with the rod end and the actuator.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the actuator rotates the helical threaded rod.

15. The method of claim 15, further comprising;

autonomously controlling the adjustment of the rod end.