Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Chris Paul Butler

Justin J Thomas

Bryan Kenneth Baskin

William Arthur Welsh

David H Hunter

Eric Lucien Nussenblatt

William J Eadie

Robert D Higbie

Robert D Beatty

Thomas Alan Egolf

Edward Reed

Maximilian August Koessick

Michael J Kostoss

Gary Law

Brandon Michael Cerge

An aircraft includes an airframe, an extending tail, a counter rotating, coaxial main rotor assembly including an upper rotor assembly and a lower rotor assembly, and a translational thrust system positioned at the extending tail. The translational thrust system provides translational thrust to the airframe. An upper hub fairing is positioned at the upper rotor assembly. A lower hub fairing is positioned at the lower rotor assembly. A shaft fairing is disposed between the upper hub fairing and the lower hub fairing. The upper hub fairing is substantially sealed to the shaft fairing and the lower hub fairing is substantially sealed to the shaft fairing.

Sealed hub and shaft fairing for rotary wing aircraft

A foldable rotor blade assembly includes a first section including a connector assembly including a plurality of through holes and a second section including a connector having a plurality of openings. The connector is receivable within a hollow interior of the first section. A plurality of fasteners insertable within the plurality of through holes and the plurality of openings. A fold assembly is operably coupled to both the first section and the second section. The fold assembly defines a blade fold axis about which the second section is rotatable to transform the rotor blade assembly between a normal configuration when the connector is received within the hollow interior of the first section, and a folded configuration when the connector has rotated outside of the hollow interior of the first section.

Rotor blade folding system

A fairing system, includes a hub fairing and a fixed fairing, such as a shaft fairing or a pylon fairing, both arranged about a rotation axis. A gap is defined between the hub fairing and the fixed fairing, and a seal assembly is axially interposed between the hub fairing and the fixed fairing. The fixed fairing and the hub fairing are both removably mounted to the seal assembly such that either or both of the fairings can be dismounted from the seal assembly without disturbing the seal assembly to provide access to components disposed within the fairing.

Seals for rotor system fairings

An aircraft is provided and includes a rotor, which is rotatable relative to an airframe, a rotor, which is rotatable relative to the airframe and which generates a rotor induced vibration, an engine to generate rotational energy, a drive portion to transfer the rotational energy from the engine, a gearbox disposed to transmit the rotational energy from the drive portion to the rotor to drive rotor rotation, support members connecting the gearbox to the airframe and an actuation system configured to generate an anti-vibration load applicable to the gearbox via an actuator comprising an actuator element disposed along one of the support members and a stinger element extending from the actuator element to a connection point of the support member and the gearbox to transmit a portion of the anti-vibration load from the actuator element to the connection point to counter the rotor induced vibration at the gearbox.

Anti-vibration load generating aircraft actuation system

An aircraft is provided and includes an airframe, an engine, a drive portion driven by the engine, a rotor apparatus, which includes a rotor rotatable relative to the airframe and a fairing, a gearbox disposed to transmit rotational energy from the drive portion to the rotor to drive the rotor to rotate relative to the airframe and which generates a rotor rotation vibration, support members by which the gearbox is disposed on the airframe and an actuation system including actuation elements disposed at the fairing, the actuation system being configured to generate an anti-vibration moment using the actuation elements disposed at the fairing to counter the rotor rotation vibration.

Anti-vibration moment generating aircraft actuation system

Growing community of inventors

Frisco, TX, United States of America

Chris Paul Butler