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US 4,422,828 AGranted
Method of and apparatus for increasing propulsive efficiency of aircraft propellers
OwnerKenneth W. Sambellinventor
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OwnerKenneth W. Sambellinventor
Estimating the term…
Hub flexures affording beamwise flapping (i.e. flapping perpendicular to the original tip-path plane), mount aircraft propellers through a hub assembly to a drive shaft of a fixed wing aircraft for increasing propulsive efficiency. The hub flexures permit the propeller blades of the fixed wing aircraft to exhibit advantageous beamwise flapping and reach equilibrium positions in response to loading conditions which would otherwise result in efficiency loss. The flexures permit only flapping perpendicular to the original tip-path plane and provide blade rigidity in radial, in-plane and torsional loading. The propeller blades may also be of the variable pitch variety wherein the flexures are advantageously inboard of the blade pitch change bearings. The flexures further facilitate both passive, or responsive flapping in response to actively induced cylic pitch to achieve maximum propulsive efficiency under any given loading conditions.
An improved aircraft propeller assembly for fixed wing aircraft of the type comprising an array of generally vertically oriented propeller blades secured about a generally horizontal propeller drive shaft driven by an engine secured to the wing of an aircraft, wherein the improvement comprises,
The improved aircraft propeller set forth in claim 3 wherein said array of propeller blades comprises at least two propeller blades disposed symmetrically one to the other and symmetrically between said flexures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.