U.S. patent number 3,824,037 [Application Number 05/295,730] was granted by the patent office on 1974-07-16 for suspension of rotor blades on the rotor head of a rotorcraft without the use of flapping or drag hinges.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm GmbH. Invention is credited to Karlheinz Mautz, Alois Schwarz.
United States Patent |
3,824,037 |
Mautz , et al. |
July 16, 1974 |
SUSPENSION OF ROTOR BLADES ON THE ROTOR HEAD OF A ROTORCRAFT
WITHOUT THE USE OF FLAPPING OR DRAG HINGES
Abstract
Vibration-free and wobble-free suspension of rotor blades in the
rotor head of a helicopter. The invention is applicable to blade
suspensions wherein the blades are received into a blade-base
holding sleeve and same is then mounted on a central member in the
rotor head through a compact bundle of elastic lamellae which are
arranged parallel to the rotating plane of the rotor and whose
radially inner ends are connected to a pin fixed in the central
member and coaxially with the rotor axis. In the present invention
there is additionally provided bands of stiffly resilient material
encircling the central member and further similar bands are
arranged around the holding sleeve. Thus, in case of breakage of
the central member the rotor blade will not only be temporarily
held in operational position but will be permitted to move radially
outwardly sufficiently to slightly unbalance the rotor and thereby
give the pilot warning of the occurrence of damage. On the sleeves
holding the base of the blade, the resilient bands will in the
event of breakage hold the parts in operating relationship for a
sufficient period of time to maintain the rotor operational until
the break is presumably discovered on a routine inspection.
Inventors: |
Mautz; Karlheinz (Ottobrunn,
DT), Schwarz; Alois (Ottobrunn, DT) |
Assignee: |
Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm GmbH
(Munich, DT)
|
Family
ID: |
5822102 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/295,730 |
Filed: |
October 6, 1972 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Oct 12, 1971 [DT] |
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2150741 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
416/136;
416/134A; 416/218; 416/138 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B64C
27/327 (20130101); B64C 27/45 (20130101); B64C
27/32 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B64C
27/45 (20060101); B64C 27/32 (20060101); B64c
027/48 () |
Field of
Search: |
;416/134-136,141,218 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Powell, Jr.; Everette A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Woodhams, Blanchard & Flynn
Claims
The embodiments of the invention in which exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. In a suspension device for a plurality of rotor blades on rotor
head means of a rotorcraft which is devoid or flapping and drag
hinges in the connection between said rotor blades and said rotor
head means, said suspension device having a rotatable rotor shaft
supporting said rotor head means for rotation therewith, said
plurality of elongated blades being mounted on said rotor head
means and extending radially outwardly therefrom, support means for
supporting each of said plurality of elongated rotor blades for
rotational movement about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis
of said rotor blades and a plurality of nonextensible, torsionally
and elastically deformable members for securing said rotor head
means to each of said rotor blades, the improvement comprising:
at least one central dislike member mounted on said rotor head
means coaxial with the axis of rotation thereof and being rotatable
therewith, said central member including means for permitting a
connection to each of said nonextensible, torsionally and
elastically deformable members; and
elastic band means encircling said central dislike member to retain
said central dislike member in an operating condition if said
central dislike member should break during usage thereof, said
broken central dislike member, and said elastic band means, during
a rotation thereof, imparting one of a purposeful imbalance to said
suspension device to thereby warn a pilot of the occurrence of a
broken component in said suspension device and an insignificant
amount of imbalance so that said breakage will be detected during
inspection of said rotorcraft.
2. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said support means
for each of said elongated rotor blades includes means defining an
opening therein spaced radially outwardly from said rotor head
means, said rotor blade having a pin thereon adapted to be received
in said opening and further elastic band means encircling said
means defining said opening to retain said means in an operating
condition if said means should break during usage thereof, said
means, when broken, and said further elastic band means imparting
one of a purposeful imbalance to said suspension device to thereby
warn a pilot of the occurrence of a broken component in said
suspension device and an insignificant amount of imbalance so that
said breakage will be detected during inspection of said
rotorcraft.
3. The improvement according to claim 2, wherein said means
defining said opening has a plurality of recesses in the periphery
thereof to encourage breakage to occur at the location of said
recesses to isolate the breakage from said further elastic band
means.
4. The improvement according to claim 2, wherein said further
elastic band means consists of a fiber-reinforced plastic.
5. The improvement according to claim 2, wherein said further
elastic band means consist of steel wire or boron fibers.
6. The improvement according to claim 5, wherein each of said
elastic bands is secured by a further band of an elastomer on a
silicone or polyurethane base.
7. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said central
disklike member has a plurality of recesses in the periphery
thereof to encourage breakage to occur at the location of said
recesses to isolate the breakage from said elastic band means.
8. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said further
elastic band means consists of a fiber-reinforced plastic.
9. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said further
elastic band means consist of steel wire or boron fibers.
10. In a suspension device for a plurality of rotor blades on rotor
head means of a rotorcraft which is devoid of flapping and drag
hinges in the connection between said rotor blades and said rotor
head means, said suspension device having a rotatable rotor shaft
supporting said rotor head means for rotation therewith, said
plurality of elongated blades being mounted on said rotor head
means and extending radially outwardly therefrom, support means for
supporting each of said plurality of elongated rotor blades for
rotational movement about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis
of said rotor blades and a plurality of nonextensible, torsionally
and elastically deformable members for securing said rotor head
means to each of said rotor blades, the improvement comprising:
means defining an opening in said support means for each of said
elongated rotor blades, said rotor blades each having pin means
thereon adapted to be received in said opening and elastic band
means encircling said means defining said opening to retain said
means in an operating condition if said means should break during
usage thereof, said means, when broken, and said elastic band means
imparting one of a purposeful imbalance to said suspension device
to thereby warn a pilot of the occurrence of a broken component in
each suspension device and an insignificant amount of imbalance so
that said breakage will be detected during inspection of said
rotorcraft.
11. The improvement according to claim 10, wherein said elastic
band is secured by a further band of an elastomer on a silicone or
polyurethane base.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For the suspension of the rotor blades of a helicopter on the rotor
head, it is known to use torsion-elastic, package-like, combined,
tension lamellae which are arranged parallel to the rotating plane
of the rotor. In such a known rotor (German Pat. No. 1,531,355) the
ends of the tension lamellae facing the rotor axis are supported on
a pin which is arranged coaxially with the rotor axis on the rotor
head. This manner of support has the advantage that the centrifugal
forces originating in the individual rotor blades can be balanced
out by the pin.
If for each individual rotor blade a separate lamellae bundle is to
be used, then these can also be secured on a common central member
which is supported on the aforementioned pin. Also in this case the
forces which engage the pin are in equilibrium so that it does not
transmit forces onto the rotor head. Such an arrangement, however,
fails to provide for the safety of the lamellae packages in case of
a breakage of the central member in the zone of its connections,
for example, due to defects in material, mechanical damage or a
temporary overstress (as at an excessive rotational speed). This
then results in loss of the aircraft.
The same is true in case of breakage of other overstressed parts,
for example, the blade-base sleeves through which in known rotor
blades are rotatably received in blade-angle-bearing sleeves
provided on the rotor head. Also in this arrangement in which the
respective connections for the blade-base or the blade-base sleeve
are provided by a pin, no precaution is taken for the case of a
breakage of the blade-base sleeves in the zone of the pins.
The purpose of the invention is to provide simple means by which
the central member and the blade-base sleeves can be made
operatively redundant in case of a breakdown resulting from a break
in the zone of the fastening means thereof.
By means of torsion-elastic, unitary, combined tension lamellae
which are arranged parallel to the rotating plane of the rotor and
are secured on a central member which is arranged coaxially to the
rotor axis on the rotor head, it is provided by the invention that
the central member be enclosed on its periphery at least by one
"bandage winding", as a band. Further, if each one blade-base
sleeve which is associated with each rotor blade and is fixedly
connected to same by at least one pin is rotatably connected to
each one blade-angle-bearing sleeve which is provided on the rotor
head, it is additionally provided that the pin be supported in
openings in the blade-base sleeves which are each peripherally
enclosed by at least one bandage winding, as a band. Upon the
occurrence of a break of the central member and/or the blade-base
sleeves in the general zone of the pin receiving openings, the
centrifugal forces which originate in the rotor blades are received
by the bands and if necessary are transmitted thereby. Such damage
is then noticed in a simple manner if the bands consist of a
fiber-reinforced, particularly glass-fiber-reinforced plastic. Upon
the stressing of such stretchable bands an unbalance is created by
a radially outward movement of the fastening means for the tension
lamellae or the pin for the blade-base sleeves at the rotor hub.
Such unbalance cannot be withstood for any extended period of
operation and thus is an indication to the pilot that a break has
occurred in the central member and/or one, or possibly more, of the
blade-base sleeves. The pilot will then land immediately.
The bands may also consist of steel wire or boron fibers. In this
case it is conceivable that in case of damage to the central member
and/or the blade-base sleeves, the unbalance at the rotor hub may
be so small that it is not noticed by the pilot. Therefore one can
so design such bands that they can be loaded over a longer period
of time and damage thereto is perhaps recognized only during an
inspection of the aircraft.
The invention and further developments of same are discussed more
in detail hereinafter in connection with one exemplary embodiment,
as illustrated in the drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side view of the central portion of a rotor, wherein
one rotor arm is illustrated in a cross-sectional view and another
in a longitudinal sectional view;
FIG. 2 illustrates a detail of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view along the line III--III of FIG. 2
and
FIG. 4 is an also enlarged sectional view along the line IV--IV of
FIG. 1.
Detailed Description
In FIG. 1 a rotor head 1 of a four-blade rotor is fixedly connected
to a rotor shaft 3 by screws 2. The rotor head 1 consists
substantially of four radially outwardly extending rotor arms which
comprise housings 4 for the blade-angle-bearings. A blade-base
sleeve 7 is rotatably supported in each of the blade-angle-bearing
housings 4 through roller bearings 5 and 6, said blade-base sleeve
7 serving at the same time as a mounting for the associated rotor
blade 8. The pivotal and bending moments which act on the rotor
blades 8 are conducted to the rotor head 1 through the blade-base
sleeves and the roller bearings 5 and 6.
To receive the centrifugal forces which develop in the rotor blades
8 there are provided sleeve holding devices 9 arranged in the
blade-base sleeves. Said sleeve holding devices are each supported
on their sides toward the rotor axis against a shoulder 10 and are
each connected to a pin 12 through package-like, combined,
continuous tension or nonextensible, torsionally and elastically
deformable lamellae 11 in the form of a continuous lamellae strip.
Said pin 12 is supported in the rotor housing 1 coaxially with the
rotor axis. The connection between the tension lamellae 11 and the
associated sleeve holding devices 9 is provided by a connecting pin
13 which is guided through an opening 14 in the tension lamellae
and is supported in the sleeve holding device.
To connect the tension lamellae 11 to the central pin 12, there is
provided a pair of central disklike members 15 supported on said
pin and having a number of connecting pins 16 which corresponds to
the number of lamellae strips. Said pins 16 are supported in
openings 17 of both central members, and are secured against axial
shifting by retaining disks 18 which are arranged in the rotor head
1. The connection of the connecting pins 16 to the associated
tension lamellae 11, or the lamellae strips, is again each provided
by an opening 19.
As can further be seen from FIG. 1, both of the central members 15
are provided each with one band 20 on their peripheries. The bands
20 are constructed as endless turns or bands (FIG. 3) and are each
embedded in a groove 21 on the periphery of the associated central
member part (FIG. 2 illustrates the lower one of the two central
member parts). They are made of any appropriate material, such as a
glass-fiber-reinforced plastic. Such bands 20 will stretch upon a
breakage of the central member 15 in the zone of one or more of its
openings 17 under the effect of the centrifugal forces caused by
the respective rotor blades 8. A slight radially outward movement
of the connecting pin 16 then takes place at the breakage point in
question and results in an unbalance at the rotor hub. This gives
the pilot an immediate indication of damage.
In order to prevent damage to the elastic bands 20 by a break in
the central member 15 adjacent the pin receiving openings therein
transmitting the centrifugal forces through sharp broken edges,
each central member part is provided on its periphery near each
opening 17 with two concave recesses 22 which extend approximately
parallel to the rotor axis (FIG. 3). Thus in the opening zone as a
practical matter only such breaks will occur as are illustrated by
lines 23 extending from the respective opening 17 to the nearest
recess 22. Since the bands 20 will not touch these break points,
damage to the bands by the broken edges is impossible.
In place of bands 20 of fiber-reinforced plastic, bands made of
steel wire or boron fibers can also be used which can be secured
against mechanical damage or splitting by a further band or an
elastomer on a silicone or polyurethane base. The use of such bands
has the advantage that the individual strands of the bands which
secure the central member (which bands are steel wire or boron
fiber bands) can move with respect to one another when under
load.
The safety of the central member 15 against breakdown is enhanced
in a simple manner by the bands 20. The same is true for the
blade-base sleeves 7 with which each associated rotor blade 8 is
connected through a pin 24. As is illustrated in FIG. 1, said bolt
24 is supported in the associated blade-base sleeve 7 in openings
25 provided therein and further supported by bands 26 of
glass-fiber-reinforced plastic. The bands 26 are secured in place
by suitable collars on sleeves 27. Each of openings 25 is further
provided with two concave recesses 28 (FIG. 4). Thus, again, in
case of breakage of a blade-base sleeve 7 in the zone of the
openings 25 it is assured that the base will remain fully
functional and damage to the bands 26 by broken edges is
practically impossible.
It is noted in addition that for protecting all bands 20 and 26
against damage by friction on the central member 15 or the openings
25, same can be provided on their peripheries with a coating which
resists mechanical abrasion. Such a coating may be made of lacquer
or a plastic, as polytetrafluoroethylene or the like. With
reference to the central member, same can also be constructed as a
single piece. Further a rectangular form of the central member is
not essential for, for example, by utilizing an uneven number of
lamellae bands it can also be constructed triangularly or in other
polygonal shapes.
* * * * *