Low drag high restoring moment airfoils

• US 9,132,914 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2012
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Wake, Brian E., Matalanis, Claude G.
• Primary Examiner(s): EDGAR, RICHARD A
• Application Number:
  US13/561,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20140030103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 416/128, 416/129
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 23/00 Influencing air flow over aircraft surfaces, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/10 arranged coaxially
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 7/00 Structures or fairings not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A rotor hub fairing system for use in a counter-rotating, coaxial rotary wing aircraft is provided including an upper hub fairing defined about an axis. A lower hub fairing is similarly defined about the axis. An airfoil shaped shaft fairing is disposed between the upper hub fairing and the lower hub fairing. The airfoil shaped shaft fairing has a thickness to chord (t/c) ratio in the range of about 20% and about 45%.

Claims

1. A rotor hub fairing system for use in a counter-rotating, coaxial rotor system comprising:

an upper hub fairing defined about an axis;

a lower hub fairing defined about the axis; and

an airfoil shaped shaft fairing disposed between the upper hub fairing and the lower hub fairing, wherein the airfoil shaped shaft fairing has a thickness to chord ratio in the range of about 20% and about 45% and wherein the airfoil shaped shaft fairing has a negative moment coefficient configured to decrease as an angle of attack of the airfoil shaped shaft fairing increases.

2. The rotor hub fairing according to claim 1, wherein the airfoil shaped shaft fairing has a thickness to chord ratio of about 30%.

3. The rotor hub fairing according to claim 1, wherein the airfoil shaped shaft fairing is defined by a set of coordinates as listed in Table 1, wherein X represents a distance from a leading edge of the airfoil along a chord, and Y represents a vertical distance from the chord to a point on an upper surface of the airfoil.

4. The rotor hub fairing according to claim 1, wherein the airfoil shaped shaft fairing is defined by a set of coordinates as listed in Table 2, wherein X represents a distance from a leading edge of the airfoil along a chord, and Y represents a vertical distance from the chord to a point on an upper surface of the airfoil.

5. The rotor hub fairing according to claim 1, wherein the airfoil shaped shaft fairing is defined by a set of coordinates as listed in Table 3, wherein X represents a distance from a leading edge of the airfoil along a chord, and Y represents a vertical distance from the chord to a point on an upper surface of the airfoil.

6. The rotor hub fairing according to claim 1, wherein the airfoil shaped shaft fairing is defined by a set of X and Y coordinates as listed in one of Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3, and the Y coordinates are scaled by a factor between about 0.7 and about 1.5.

7. The rotor hub fairing according to claim 1, wherein the shaft fairing has a shape complementary to the upper hub fairing and the lower hub fairing.

8. The rotor hub fairing according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface and a lower surface of the shaft fairing are symmetrical.