US 11,235,870 B2Granted

Droop ring with removable wear elements

AssigneeTextron Innovations Inc.

InventorsMark Adam Wiinikka, Matthew Curtis Ledbetter

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Abstract

A rotorcraft having a rotor system including a yoke, a plurality of grip assemblies, each of which is hingedly attach a rotor blade to the yoke, a plurality of flap stops, each flap stop attached to a respective grip assembly, a channel bounded by an upper and lower retaining surfaces, and a droop ring slideably disposed in the channel of the droop limiting system. The droop ring has a body with an inner surface, an outer surface, and a first end surface between the inner surface and the outer surface. The droop ring further has a first wear element removably disposed at the first end surface and extending above the first end surface and spaces the first end surface apart from the channel. Each flap stop is arranged to contact the outer surface of the droop ring and limit a downward droop of the respective rotor blade.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A rotorcraft having a rotor system, comprising:

a yoke;
a plurality of grip assemblies, each grip assembly of the plurality of grip assemblies hingedly attaching a respective rotor blade of a plurality of rotor blades to the yoke;
a plurality of flap stops, each flap stop of the plurality of flap stops attached to a respective grip assembly of the plurality of grip assemblies;
a droop limiting system having a channel bounded by an upper retaining surface, a lower retaining surface and a stop surface disposed between the upper retaining surface and the lower retaining surface;
and
a droop ring slideably disposed in the channel of the droop limiting system, the droop ring having a body with an inner surface, an outer surface, and a first end surface disposed between the inner surface and the outer surface, the droop ring further having a first wear element disposed at the first end surface, wherein the first wear element is removable, and wherein the first wear element extends above the first end surface and spaces the first end surface apart from the channel;
wherein each flap stop of the plurality of flap stops is arranged to contact the outer surface of the droop ring and limit a downward droop of the respective rotor blade;
wherein the body has a ring shape with the outer surface forming an outer edge of the body and extending contiguously in a circle around the entirety of the body, wherein the body has a protective layer disposed on the outer surface of the body, wherein the protective layer is formed from a material different than a material forming the body, and wherein the protective layer extends contiguously in a circle around the entirety of the body;
and
wherein a plurality of drain holes are disposed in the droop ring, where each drain hole of the plurality of drain holes extends contiguously from a first recess of the first wear element, through the first wear element, through a center wall of the body, through a second wear element opposite the first wear element, and to a second recess of the second wear element.

7 more elements

A droop ring, comprising:

a body having an inner surface, an outer surface, a first end surface disposed between the inner surface and the outer surface, and a second end surface disposed between the inner surface and the outer surface opposite the first end surface, wherein the first end surface has first cavities and the second end surface has second cavities;
and
a plurality of wear elements comprising first wear elements removably disposed in the first cavities and second wear elements removably disposed in the second cavities, wherein each of the first wear elements extends from within a respective one of the first cavities past the first end surface and has a first wear surface disposed above the first end surface, and wherein each of the second wear elements extends from within a respective one of the second cavities past the second end surface and has a second wear surface disposed above the second end surface;
wherein the body has a ring shape with the outer surface forming an outer edge of the body and extending contiguously in a circle around the entirety of the body, wherein the body has a protective layer disposed on the outer surface of the body, wherein the protective layer is formed from a material different than a material forming the body, and wherein the protective layer extends contiguously in a circle around the entirety of the body;
and
wherein a plurality of drain holes are disposed in the droop ring, where each drain hole of the plurality of drain holes extends contiguously from a first recess of a first respective wear element of the plurality of wear elements, through the first respective wear element, through a center wall of the body, through a second respective wear element of the plurality of wear elements, and to a second recess of the second respective wear element.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.