Anti-Torque and yaw-control system for a rotary-wing aircraft
First Claim
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1. A rotary-wing aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage;
a main rotor rotatably coupled to the fuselage;
a tail boom fixedly coupled to the fuselage so that a least a portion of the tail boom is located within an area of downwash from the main rotor, the tail boom defining a plenum chamber therein for holding pressurized fluid;
a linear nozzle mounted on the tail boom and having an opening extending along the tail boom for discharging a sheet of fluid in a direction substantially tangential to an outer surface of the tail boom; and
a yaw-control device defining an internal volume therein, wherein the yaw-control device is rotatably coupled to a lower portion of the tail boom and has a first and a second opening formed therein, the internal volume receives the pressurized fluid from the plenum chamber by way of the first opening, and the yaw-control device discharges the pressurized fluid from the internal volume and into the area of downwash from the main rotor by way of the second opening when the rotary-wing aircraft is hovering.
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Abstract
A preferred embodiment of a rotary-wing aircraft comprises a main rotor, a tail boom extending through an area of downwash from the main rotor, and a linear nozzle fixedly coupled to the tail boom and having an opening extending along the tail boom for discharging a sheet of fluid in a direction substantially tangential to an outer surface of the tail boom. A preferred embodiment also comprises a yaw-control device movably coupled to the tail boom and having an opening formed therein for discharging fluid in a direction away from the yaw-control device and into the area of downwash from the main rotor.
61 Citations
37 Claims
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1. A rotary-wing aircraft, comprising:
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a fuselage;
a main rotor rotatably coupled to the fuselage;
a tail boom fixedly coupled to the fuselage so that a least a portion of the tail boom is located within an area of downwash from the main rotor, the tail boom defining a plenum chamber therein for holding pressurized fluid;
a linear nozzle mounted on the tail boom and having an opening extending along the tail boom for discharging a sheet of fluid in a direction substantially tangential to an outer surface of the tail boom; and
a yaw-control device defining an internal volume therein, wherein the yaw-control device is rotatably coupled to a lower portion of the tail boom and has a first and a second opening formed therein, the internal volume receives the pressurized fluid from the plenum chamber by way of the first opening, and the yaw-control device discharges the pressurized fluid from the internal volume and into the area of downwash from the main rotor by way of the second opening when the rotary-wing aircraft is hovering. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A rotary-wing aircraft, comprising:
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a main rotor;
a tail boom extending through an area of downwash from the main rotor;
a linear nozzle fixedly coupled to the tail boom and having an opening extending along the tail boom for discharging a sheet of fluid in a direction substantially tangential to an outer surface of the tail boom; and
a yaw-control device rotatably coupled to the tail boom and having an opening formed therein for discharging fluid in a direction away from the yaw-control device and into the area of downwash from the main rotor when the rotary-wing aircraft is hovering. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A rotary-wing aircraft, comprising:
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a fuselage;
a main rotor rotatably coupled to the fuselage;
a tail boom fixedly coupled to the fuselage so that a least a portion of the tail boom is located within an area of downwash from the main rotor;
a linear nozzle mounted on the tail boom and having an opening extending along the tail boom for discharging a sheet of the pressurized fluid in a direction substantially tangential to an outer surface of the tail boom and toward a yaw-control device; and
the yaw-control device, comprising an outer skin defining an internal volume within the yaw-control device for receiving the pressurized fluid, the outer skin having an opening formed therein for discharging the pressurized fluid from the internal volume in a direction away from the yaw-control device and into the area of downwash from the main rotor when the rotary-wing aircraft is hovering, wherein the yaw-control device is rotatably coupled to the tail boom so that an orientation of the opening can be altered in relation to the tail boom thereby altering a circulation pattern of the rotor downwash around the tail boom.
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33. A method of counteracting main-rotor torque and controlling yaw in a helicopter having a main rotor and a tail boom located within an area of downwash from the main rotor, comprising:
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altering a direction of travel of the downwash from the main rotor by directing a first flow of fluid along an outer surface of the tail boom to produce a layer of fluid flow along at least a portion of the outer surface; and
further altering the direction of travel of the downwash from the main rotor by using a rotatable yaw-control member to introduce a second flow of fluid into the area of downwash from the main rotor in a direction away from the yaw-control device when the rotary-wing aircraft is hovering.
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34. A rotary-wing aircraft, comprising:
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a fuselage;
a main rotor rotatably coupled to the fuselage;
a tail boom fixedly coupled to the fuselage so that a least a portion of the tail boom is located within an area of downwash from the main rotor, the tail boom defining a plenum chamber therein for holding pressurized fluid;
a linear nozzle mounted on the tail boom and having an opening extending along the tail boom for discharging a sheet of fluid in a direction substantially tangential to an outer surface of the tail boom; and
a yaw-control device having a squared edge, wherein the yaw-control device is coupled to a lower portion of the tail boom so that an opening is formed between the yaw-control device and the tail boom, the pressurized air from the plenum chamber is discharged through the opening, and the yaw-control device is rotatable in relation to the tail boom so that a direction in which the pressurized air flows away from the yaw-control device is variable.
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35. A rotary-wing aircraft, comprising:
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a fuselage;
a main rotor rotatably coupled to the fuselage;
a tail boom fixedly coupled to the fuselage so that a least a portion of the tail boom is located within an area of downwash from the main rotor, the tail boom defining a plenum chamber therein for holding pressurized fluid;
a linear nozzle mounted on the tail boom and having an opening extending along the tail boom for discharging a sheet of fluid in a direction substantially tangential to an outer surface of the tail boom; and
a yaw-control device defining an internal volume therein, wherein the yaw-control device is rotatably coupled to a lower portion of the tail boom and has a first and a second opening formed therein, the first opening is positioned within the plenum chamber, the internal volume receives the pressurized fluid from the plenum chamber by way of the first opening, and the yaw-control device discharges the pressurized fluid from the internal volume and into the area of downwash from the main rotor by way of the second opening.
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36. A rotary-wing aircraft, comprising:
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a fuselage;
a main rotor rotatably coupled to the fuselage;
a tail boom fixedly coupled to the fuselage so that a least a portion of the tail boom is located within an area of downwash from the main rotor, the tail boom defining a plenum chamber therein for holding pressurized fluid;
a linear nozzle mounted on the tail boom and having an opening extending along the tail boom for discharging a sheet of fluid in a direction substantially tangential to an outer surface of the tail boom; and
a yaw-control device defining an internal volume therein, wherein the yaw-control device is rotatably coupled to a lower portion of the tail boom and has a first and a second opening formed therein, the internal volume receives the pressurized fluid from the plenum chamber by way of the first opening, the yaw-control device discharges the pressurized fluid from the internal volume and into the area of downwash from the main rotor by way of the second opening, and the yaw-control device comprises a first and second nozzle mounted in the respective first and second openings.
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37. A rotary-wing aircraft, comprising:
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a main rotor;
a tail boom extending through an area of downwash from the main rotor;
a linear nozzle fixedly coupled to the tail boom and having an opening extending along the tail boom for discharging a sheet of fluid in a direction substantially tangential to an outer surface of the tail boom; and
a yaw-control device movably coupled to the tail boom, wherein the yaw control device has a first opening formed therein for discharging fluid in a direction away from the yaw-control device and into the area of downwash from the main rotor, the yaw control device has a second opening formed therein and positioned within a plenum chamber formed by the tail boom, and the yaw-control device receives the fluid from the plenum chamber by way of the second opening.
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Specification