Device for folding of a helicopter rotor blade

• US 6,036,442 A
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
• Original Assignee: Eurocopter
• Inventors: Certain, Nicolas Pierre Georges, Jalaguier, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryznic, John E.
• Application Number:
  US09/114,229
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 416/142, 416/143, 416/131, 416/132 R
• US Class Current: 416/143
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/50 Blades foldable to facilitate stowage of aircraft

Abstract

The device comprises a detachable distance-piece (19'"'"') with a pivot (20) retained in a pivoting way in the yoke (7b) of a member (7) connecting a blade (4) to the hub, by one of the two blade pins (15) and a distance-piece yoke (22'"'"') in which the blade root (6) is retained pivoting by a fitting pin (18'"'"'). The blade (4) is folded by pivoting its root (6) with respect to the distance piece (19'"'"') and pivoting the latter with respect to the yoke (7b), with a lateral shift with respect to the conventional folding without a detachable distance-piece (19'"'"'), and with a fitting pin (18'"'"') which can be inclined with respect to the blade pin (15).

Claims

1. A device for the manual folding of a blade of a rotor of a rotary wing aircraft, said rotor having at least four blades each of which is integral in rotation with a hub of the rotor by means of a connecting member which is substantially radial with respect to a hub axis which is an axis of rotation of the rotor, an outer radial end of said connecting member being conformed as a yoke in which a corresponding blade has a root retained by two blade pins each traversing aligned bores in the yoke and the blade root, the two blade pins being substantially parallel with each other, at least one blade being foldable along one side of the rotary wing aircraft and having two removable blade pins such that the withdrawal of a pin from the blade root and from the yoke of the connecting member makes it possible to pivot the blade about the other blade pin, the device comprising at least one detachable distance-piece for separating the root of the foldable blade with respect to the corresponding connecting member, the distance-piece having a first part forming a pivot and traversed by a first bore and a second part forming a yoke with a second bore, the distance-piece being, after the withdrawal of a first blade pin and the pivoting of the blade with respect to the connecting member and about the second blade pin, capable of being mounted in rotation on the connecting member by the retention of the distance piece pivot in the yoke of the connecting member by means of a pin engaged in the first bore of the distance-piece and in the bore previously traversed by the first blade pin in the yoke of the connecting member, and the distance-piece being capable of retaining the blade root in rotation in the distance-piece yoke by the engagement of another pin in the second bore of the distance-piece and in the bore of the blade root previously traversed by the first blade pin such that after the withdrawal of the second blade pin the blade can be folded by pivoting the blade root in the distance-piece yoke and pivoting the distance-piece by the distance-piece pivot in the yoke of the connecting member, wherein the second bore of the distance-piece has a part formed in at least one branch of the distance-piece yoke which part is an oblong bore allowing said other pin retaining the blade root in the distance-piece yoke to be inclined with respect to said pin retaining the distance-piece pivot in the yoke of the connecting member in such a way as to modify the trajectory of the blade in its folding by pivoting about said other inclined pin.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said other pin is a fitting pin which comprises a cylindrical shaft capable of being received in the second bore of the distance-piece and engaged in at least two branches of the distance-piece yoke in such a way as to retain the blade root pivoting in the distance-piece yoke, the distance-piece pivot and the first bore of the distance-piece having a geometry adapted to receive a blade pin for retaining the distance-piece pivoting in the yoke of the connecting member.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein an oblong bore is formed in an upper branch of the distance-piece yoke, whilst a lower branch of the distance-piece yoke has a spherical bearing recess, and the fitting pin comprises a shaft terminating in a spherical end-piece which, when putting the fitting pin into place in the distance-piece yoke, is stopped in translation by the spherical bearing recess.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein said spherical end-piece is retained in said spherical bearing recess by a cylindrical retaining member housed in a diametrical bore traversing the spherical end-piece and a bore traversing said lower branch of the distance-piece yoke, such that the fitting pin can pivot about an axis of said retaining member with respect to the distance piece.

5. A device according to claim 1 wherein at least one member is mobile on the distance-piece between a first position, in which the mobile member at least partially covers the oblong bore in such a way as to maintain the other pin parallel with said pin retaining the pivot in the yoke of the connecting member, and a second position in which said mobile member is clear of said oblong bore in such a way as to allow the inclination of said other pin with respect to said pin retaining the pivot in the yoke of the connecting member.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein said mobile member is displaced from said first position towards said second position against the action of elastic means on the distance-piece, for returning said mobile member towards said first position, in order to allow the inclination of said other pin.

7. A device according to claims 5 wherein said mobile member is a finger mounted so as to pivot on the distance-piece about a spindle substantially parallel with said first bore and between two stops integral with the distance-piece and each respectively stopping said finger in one of said first and second positions, the finger being conformed such that on bearing against the stop of the first position, said other pin can be engaged in the second bore of the distance-piece parallel with said first bore for the fitting of the blade root in the yoke of the distance-piece.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein the distance-piece comprises at least a first rotational stop, limiting the rotation of the distance-piece with respect to the connecting member and at least a second rotational stop, limiting the rotation of the blade with respect to the distance-piece, when folding said blade.

9. A device according to claim 8, including at least one detachable attachment member, intended to be fitted between the distance-piece and a fixed point integral with said connecting member, in such a way as to prevent the rotation of the distance-piece with respect to the connecting member, starting from a folded position of the blade and towards an unfolded position of the blade.

10. A device according to claim 9 wherein said attachment member is fitted between the distance-piece bearing by means of said first rotational stop against said yoke of the connecting member, at least during the unfolding of the blade, before and during the rotation of the blade with respect to the distance-piece.

11. A device according to claim 10, wherein said attachment member is fitted on the distance-piece whilst being bound with said pivoting finger in such a way as to cause the pivoting of said finger from a first position to a second position on the distance-piece when the attachment member is bound to said fixed point integral with the connecting member.

12. A device according to claim 9 wherein the distance-piece has at least one stop for a rotational drive of the distance-piece by the bearing of at least one stop of a heal of the blade root during the unfolding of the blade, after rotation of the blade with respect to the distance-piece.

13. A device according to claim 1 wherein the distance-piece yoke has a lower branch which carries a vertical bearing stop for the blade on an inside face of said lower branch.

14. A device according to claim 13, wherein the bearing stop is annular, made of plastic material and capable of being traversed by the pin for retaining the blade root in the distance-piece yoke.

15. A device according to claim 13 wherein said stop bearing comprises an inclined flat serving as a vertical support for the blade in the folded position.

16. A device according to claim 1 wherein the distance-piece is in one piece and bent substantially at right angles or in a crescent shape in a plane substantially perpendicular to an axis of the first bore of the distance-piece.

17. A device according to claim 2 wherein said removable blade pin retaining the distance-piece pivot in the yoke of the connecting member is one of said first blade pin and a blade pin withdrawn from another blade of the rotor which is folded by pivoting about said second blade pin of said another blade without the positioning of a detachable separating distance-piece.