System for controlling the pitch of the propeller blades of a turbomachine, and a turbomachine with a propeller for an aircraft with such a system

• US 9,677,408 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safran Aircraft Engine Company
• Original Assignee: Snecma (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Tajan, Sbastien, Jacquemard, Christophe, Fabre, Adrien
• Primary Examiner(s): Murphy, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US14/264,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20140322016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 416155, 416157 A, 415 77, 415 83, 415 91, 415126, 415127, 415206, 415224
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 11/06 for variable-pitch blades
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 11/32 mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2027/005 Aircraft with an unducted turbofan comprising contra-rotating rotors, e.g. contra-rotating open rotors [CROR]
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 7/00 Rotors with blades adjustable in operation; Control thereof for reversing F01D1/30
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/76 the adjusting mechanism using auxiliary power sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A control system includes a power actuator coaxial with the axis of rotation of the propeller, and a transmission device connecting the power actuator to pivots, of the blades to be controlled, arranged substantially radially with respect to the axis of rotation. The actuator is a rotary jack whose mobile part rotates about the axis of rotation and is connected to the transmission device by a mobile mechanical connection which transforms the rotation imparted by the mobile part of the jack about the axis of rotation into a rotation of the blades about the axes of the pivots which are perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

Claims

1. A system for controlling the pitch of blades of a propeller of a turbomachine, comprising;

a propeller;

a power actuator coaxial with an axis of rotation of the propeller; and

a transmission device connecting the power actuator to pivots of the blades to be controlled, arranged substantially radially with respect to said axis of rotation of the propeller, said power actuator comprising a fixed body, said fixed body comprising a chamber connected to a hydraulic supply, the chamber receiving a radial vane of a rotating mobile part, wherein hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic supply causes rotation of the radial vane about said axis of rotation of the propeller,

wherein the rotating mobile part of the power actuator is secured in rotation with a substantially cylindrical collar which extends at least in part about said body of the power actuator and which comprises guide slots which engage with cams of the transmission device in order to transform the rotation of the radial vane of the rotating mobile part of the power actuator about said axis of rotation of the propeller into a rotation of the blades about axes of the pivots which are perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the propeller.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the propeller comprises an annular hub housing the pivots of the blades, the hub extending at least in part about said collar.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said guide slots are female guide slots and said cams are male cams received in the guide slots.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the female guide slots are arcuate or helical, and are created in or attached to the collar, in a permanent or removable manner, and the male cams are borne by respective radial arms of the transmission device in connection with the pivots of the blades.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cams are eccentric to the radial arms and are parallel to the radial arms in order to rotate about the axes of the latter as a consequence of the rotation of the collar having guide slots, the connection between each cam and the associated guide slot being spherical or cylindrical.

6. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the radial arms of the transmission device are arranged in line with the pivots of the blades, being connected coaxially therewith.

7. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the collar having guide slots is secured to an output shaft of the rotating mobile part of the power actuator by a radial coupling flange attached to the shaft on an inside and to the collar on an outside.

8. A turbomachine of the type comprising at least one propeller and a system for controlling the pitch of blades of the at least one propeller,

wherein the system for controlling the pitch of the blades of the propeller is as defined in claim 1.