Blade-retaining device for turbomachine propeller

• US 8,845,292 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2010
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Lafont, Laurent
• Primary Examiner(s): EDGAR, RICHARD A
• Application Number:
  US13/386,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20120121417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 416/204.R, 416/204.A, 416/244.R, 416/246, 416/244.A, 416/248, 416/207
• US Class Current: 416/204.R
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 11/04 Blade mountings
• 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: F01D 21/045 special arrangements in stators or in rotors dealing with breaking-off of part of rotor
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/3053 by means of pins
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/206 the vehicles being airscrew driven
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 3/025 the by-pass flow being at least partly used to create an independent thrust component
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/322 Blade mountings
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/34 Blade mountings for axial flow compressors F04D29/322
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/324 to drive unshrouded, low solidity propeller
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

An aircraft turbomachine propeller including multiple blades assembled on a hub rotating around an axis of rotation of the propeller, that can reduce risks of loss of the blade following impact of a foreign body. At least one blade includes a recess opening radially towards the inside in the area of the base of this blade. A retaining device includes a moving retaining mechanism positioned in the recess and configured to be moved from a retracted position to a deployed blade-retaining position, and vice versa.

Claims

1. An aircraft turbomachine propeller, comprising:

multiple blades, each including a base assembled on a hub rotating around an axis of rotation of the propeller,

wherein at least one blade includes a recess opening radially towards the inside in an area of a base of this blade, and

wherein the propeller includes, in association with the recess, a blade-retaining device that is stationary in terms of translational motion in a radial direction towards the outside relative to the hub, including moving retaining means positioned in the recess and configured to occupy;

a retracted position in which the moving retaining means does not form a stop for the blade in the radial direction towards the outside;

a deployed position in which the moving retaining means forms a stop for the blade in the radial direction towards the outside; and

to be moved from one to the other of the positions.

2. A propeller according to claim 1, wherein the moving retaining means is configured to be moved from the retracted position to the deployed position by centrifugal force resulting from rotation of the blade around the axis of rotation of the propeller.

3. A propeller according to claim 1, wherein the recess is demarcated by an inner surface including at least one stop surface, and the moving retaining means includes at least one stop portion, wherein the stop portion is at least partially opposite the stop surface when the moving retaining means is in the deployed position.

4. A propeller according to claim 3, wherein the inner surface includes at least two stop surfaces, and the moving retaining means includes at least two moving components connected to one another, each having a stop portion.

5. A propeller according to claim 4, wherein the retaining device includes a retaining rod on which the moving components are assembled by a pin, such that the moving components are simultaneously contra-rotating around the pin when moving from the retracted position to the deployed position.

6. A propeller according to claim 3, wherein a protective sheath is positioned in the recess, the inner surface of which contributes to demarcating the recess and includes the at least one stop surface.

7. A propeller according to claim 1, wherein the retaining device includes elastic return means for returning the moving retaining means to the retracted position.

8. A propeller according to claim 1, wherein the retaining device has, in the area of the moving means, when in the retracted position, a maximum dimension in the transverse direction that is less than the minimum dimension of the recess in the transverse direction.

9. A propeller according to claim 1, further comprising a propeller hub support positioned towards the inside relative to the propeller hub, wherein the retaining device is assembled at a lower end on the propeller hub or on the propeller hub support, so as to prevent any roughly radial movement towards the outside of the retaining device.

10. An aircraft turbomachine comprising at least one propeller according to claim 1.