Textron Corporation

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Alan W Myers

Wesley L Cresap

Robert G Anderson

George E Arnold

Dennis E Gregory

Sathy P Viswanathan

Helicopter

A mounting for a helicopter pylon having a plurality of resilient vertical support links (24-27) between the pylon (12) and the helicopter fuselage (13). The links have a composite spring rate for a given pylon weight which establishes a resilient support for the fuselage from the pylon at the thrust required to support said fuselage in normal flight and in which oscillatory vertical force transmitted to fuselage is minimal for acceptable static deflections of the pylon. Physical stops (24e, 24n, 24p) are operable to limit deflection between the pylon (12) and the fuselage (13) at predetermined rotor thrust above and below said normal thrust. Links (24-27) are mounted at the ends of a pair of rigid beams (20, 21 and 22, 23) which are secured at the centers thereof to opposite sides of transmission portion of the pylon (12). A vertical rigid mounting pin (24b) extends downward at the end of each beam. A hollow vertical receptacle (24a) is secured to the fuselage and is coaxial with each pin (24b) and has a reentrant bore (24h) providing a down facing shoulder (24p). A resilient body (24g) couples each pin to its receptacle. An enlarged foot (24e) on each pin operates between the fuselage (13) and shoulder (24p) to limit deflection of pylon (12) and the resilient coupling (24g).

Pylon mounting system for reducing helicopter vibration

A helicopter landing gear assembly includes a pair of crosstubes (20, 22) having a pair of struts (28, 30) connected at the outboard ends thereof. A first of the crosstubes (22) is connected to the helicopter fuselage (16) at a pair of laterally spaced points (24, 26). The second of the crosstubes (20) is joined by a pivot connection (32) to a structural bridge (10) positioned above the second crosstube. The structural bridge (10) is connected at its outer ends to the fuselage main beams (12, 14). The structural bridge (10) connected to the second crosstube (20) permits the helicopter fuselage (16) to pivot about a fore-aft axis thereof to lower the natural roll frequency of the helicopter airframe and therefore increase the margin of stability to prevent ground resonance.

Helicopter landing gear with crosstube pivot

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Burleson, TX, United States of America

Alan W Myers