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US 9,428,268 B2Granted
Flexbeam hinge for helicopter blade active trailing edge flap
AssigneeSikorsky Aircraft Corporation
InventorsKris Kopanski, Devon Cowles, David E. Bruno, Frederick J. Miner, Benjamin Reed Hein
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flexbeam for a rotor blade is provided and includes a first end coupled to a body of the rotor blade and a second end coupled to a flap disposed along a trailing edge of the body to pitch about a pitching axis defined along a span of the body and a flexbeam body extending from the first end to the second end and being configured to retain the flap under a first loading and being flexible about the pitching axis.
Claims12
A rotor blade system, comprising:
- a rotor blade body having a span extending between first and second ends and a chord extending between first and second edges,
- the body being rotatable about an axis proximate to the first end to define the second edge as a trailing edge;
- a flap disposed along the trailing edge and being configured to pitch about a pitching axis defined along the span;
- a flexbeam coupled at a first end thereof to the body and at a second end thereof to the flap, the flexbeam being configured to retain the flap under first, second and third loadings and being flexible to rotate the flap about the pitching axis;
- and
- a torque tube surrounding the flexbeam.
3 more elements
A helicopter, comprising:
- a rotor blade having a span extending between first and second ends and a chord extending between first and second edges, the rotor blade being rotatable about an axis proximate to the first end to define the second edge as a trailing edge;
- a flap disposed along the trailing edge, constrained to deform with the rotor blade and configured to pitch about a pitching axis defined along the span;
- a flexbeam including a first end coupled to a body of the rotor blade, a second end coupled to the flap and a flexbeam body extending from the first end to the second end and being configured to retain the flap under first, second and third loadings and being flexible to rotate the flap about the pitching axis;
- and
- a torque tube surrounding the flexbeam.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.