Rotor blade component cooling
AssigneeSikorsky Aircraft Corporation
InventorMark W. Scott
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rotor blade for a rotary wing aircraft includes a component bay located substantially enclosed in the rotor blade and one or more components positioned in the component bay. An airflow is located at the component bay and an airflow outlet is located at the component bay radially outboard of the airflow inlet. The airflow inlet and airflow outlet allow a continuous airflow through the component bay via centrifugal forces of rotation of the rotor blade, the continuous airflow cooling the one or more components disposed at the component bay.
Claims15
A rotor blade for a rotary wing aircraft comprising:
- a component bay disposed substantially enclosed in the rotor blade;
- one or more components disposed in the component bay;
- an airflow inlet disposed at the component bay;
- and
- an airflow outlet disposed at the component bay radially outboard of the airflow inlet, the airflow inlet and airflow outlet allowing a continuous airflow through the component bay via centrifugal forces of rotation of the rotor blade, the continuous airflow cooling the one or more components disposed at the component bay.
A method of cooling a component of a rotor blade comprising:
- rotating a rotor blade about a rotor shaft;
- urging air in a component bay out of the component bay through an airflow outlet via centrifugal forces of the rotor blade rotation;
- urging an airflow into the component bay via an airflow inlet disposed radially inboard of the airflow outlet;
- and
- flowing the airflow past a component disposed in the component bay thereby removing thermal energy from the component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.