Erosion resistant helicopter blade
AssigneeSikorsky Aircraft Corporation
InventorsWilliam C. Harris, Jr., John P. Kopchik, Richard Ely
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotor blade including a main portion having a main portion leading edge shield; a main portion impact-resistant layer formed on a nose of the leading edge shield; a main portion erosion-resistant layer formed on a top and bottom of the main portion, rearward of the main portion impact-resistant layer; a main portion foil formed on the top and the bottom of the main portion rearward of the main portion erosion-resistant layer; a tip cap having a tip cap leading edge shield; a tip cap impact-resistant layer formed on a surface of the tip cap leading edge shield; and a tip cap foil formed on the top and the bottom of the tip cap rearward of the tip cap erosion-resistant layer.
Claims16
A rotor blade comprising:
- a main portion having a main portion leading edge shield;
- a main portion impact-resistant layer formed on a nose of the leading edge shield;
- a main portion erosion-resistant layer formed on a top and bottom of the main portion with forward-most edges terminating rearward of a forward section of the main portion impact-resistant layer;
- a main portion foil formed on the top and the bottom of the main portion with forward-most edges terminating rearward of a forward section of the main portion erosion-resistant layer;
- a tip cap having a tip cap leading edge shield acting as a tip cap erosion-resistant layer;
- a tip cap impact-resistant layer formed on a surface of the tip cap leading edge shield;
- and
- a tip cap foil formed on the top and the bottom of the tip cap with forward-most edges terminating rearward of a forward section of the tip cap erosion-resistant layer.
A method of manufacturing a rotor blade comprising:
- obtaining a main portion having a main portion leading edge shield;
- applying a main portion erosion-resistant layer on a top and bottom of the leading edge shield;
- applying a main portion impact-resistant layer on a nose of the leading edge shield with forward-most edges of the main portion erosion resistant layer terminating rearward of a forward section of the main portion impact-resistant layer;
- applying a main portion foil on the top and the bottom of the main portion with forward-most edges terminating rearward of a forward section of the main portion erosion-resistant layer;
- obtaining a tip cap having a tip cap leading edge shield acting as a tip cap erosion-resistant layer;
- applying a tip cap impact-resistant layer on a surface of the tip cap leading edge shield;
- and
- applying a tip cap foil on the top and the bottom of the tip cap with forward-most edges terminating rearward of a forward section of the tip cap erosion-resistant layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.