Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Textron Innovations Inc.

Bell Textron Inc.

Christopher Edward Foskey

Frank B Stamps

Michael Christopher Burnett

Andrew Ryan Maresh

Jared Mark Paulson

Drew Alan Sutton

Paul K Oldroyd

Troy Cyril Schank

Jonathan Andrew Knoll

Brendan P Lanigan

Peter H Kintzinger

Joel J McIntyre

Richard Erler Rauber

Jeffrey Mark Bosworth

Michael J Southerland

Michael Reaugh Smith

Gary Michael Miller

Kyle Thomas Cravener

Colton James Gilliland

Dudley E Smith

Bryan W Marshall

Chyau-Song Tzeng

Robert W Roe

Mark Mays

Ryan Q Dunham

Frank Bradley Stamps

Jeffrey Bosworth

Joel Mcintyre

Michael Chris Burnett

Gary Miller

A variable-sweep wing for a tiltrotor aircraft includes a fuselage link coupled to the fuselage and a pylon link coupled to a pylon. A wing airframe has a root end pivotably coupled to the fuselage link and a tip end pivotably coupled to the pylon link. A driveshaft is coupled between the fuselage link and the pylon link and is positioned within the wing airframe. The driveshaft is operable to transmit torque from the main gearbox to a proprotor gearbox. A crank is coupled between the fuselage link and the pylon link and is positioned within the wing airframe. The fuselage link, the pylon link, the driveshaft and the crank form a linkage such that pivoting the crank relative to the fuselage link causes the wing airframe to shift between a substantially straight wing configuration for low-speed forward flight and a swept wing configuration for high-speed forward flight.

High-speed tiltrotor aircraft having a variable-sweep wing

A spinner is described that can provide aerodynamic advantages for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The spinner can be shaped with multiple faces divided by chines. The chines can run down the edge of the spinner to fairings that can cover rotor blades and/or couplings between rotor blades and the rotor hubs of the aircraft. During forward flight the rotor blades can be folded down into recesses on the spinner. The spinner and fairings can provide aerodynamic advantages in addition to protection for sensitive components within the rotor and blades apparatus. This improves efficiency and allows the aircraft to fly faster.

Drag reducing spinner for high speed stop fold rotor

A wing apparatus and aircraft are described providing greater maneuverability and efficiency for vertical takeoff and landing vehicles. Use of a fowler flap is shown in combination with a sliding panel. The sliding panel can nest within a wing similar to a fowler flap. During vertical maneuvers the sliding panel can be moved forward and on top of the wing. This can alleviate download during vertical maneuvers while minimizing drag as forward flight begins.

Sliding panel for download alleviation on high-speed VTOL aircraft

An embodiment is a system including an external passenger seating unit comprising at least one seat; and a translation mechanism for translating the external passenger seating unit between a first position in which the external passenger seating unit is stowed in a payload bay of an aircraft and a second position in which the external passenger seating unit is deployed external to the aircraft for accommodating at least one passenger.

Modular deployable external passenger system for aircraft

Embodiments are directed to systems and methods for deploying an outboard rotor blade of proprotor pylon to act as an extended lifting surface. Blade control actuators may provide primary rotor flight control as well as providing fold linkage actuation when fold locks are disengaged. During cruise flight, the blade control actuator may provide feathering inputs to the extended rotor blade, wherein the amplitude and frequency of feathering inputs are tuned to mitigate undesirable wing and fuselage dynamic modes thereby enhancing aircraft stability. The deployed rotor blades also improve the total lifting area of the aircraft, which may increase aircraft range and efficiency.

Active sail blade

An elastomeric bearing assembly has a housing, a centrifugal force bearing axially captured relative to the housing, and a sliding cap disposed between the housing and the centrifugal force bearing.

Centrifugal force bearing

A stowable lift rotor is coupled to an airframe of a VTOL aircraft. The VTOL aircraft is convertible between a VTOL flight mode and a forward flight mode. The stowable lift rotor includes a lift arm. The proximal end of the lift arm is coupled to the airframe of the VTOL aircraft. The stowable lift rotor also includes a rotor assembly including rotor blades coupled to the distal end of the lift arm. The lift arm is movable between various positions including an extended position in the VTOL flight mode, a stowed position in the forward flight mode and intermediate positions therebetween such that the distance between the rotor assembly and the airframe is greater in the extended position than in the stowed position.

Stowable lift rotors for VTOL aircraft

An exemplary clamp system for securing a proprotor blade in a stowed position includes a clamp having a pair of opposing pads operable between an open position to receive a portion of a proprotor blade between the pair of opposing pads and a closed position to grip the portion of the proprotor blade with the pair of opposing pads and a rotary actuator in connection with the clamp to operate the clamp between the open and the closed position.

Stowed blade active restraint

Embodiments are directed to systems and methods for creating a tubular composite structure. In one embodiment, a device comprises multiple layers of cured composite fabric bonded together to form a tubular composite structure, wherein alternating groups of the multiple layers comprise on-axis fabric and off-axis fabric. The tubular composite structure may form a spar for an aerodynamic component. The composite fabric may comprise one or more of carbon, fiberglass, or other composite materials, or a combination of materials. One or more stacks of the fabric wrap completely around the tubular composite structure, and other stacks of fabric may not wrap completely around the tubular composite structure.

All-fabric spar for aerodynamic components

Embodiments are directed to a selectable drive system that allows a rotor gearbox to send torque to a proprotor assembly and/or through a multiplier planetary gear set to a pylon-mounted ducted fan thrust unit. The rotor drive system may be a stop-fold system in which rotor blades can be folded when not rotating. This allows a normally idle lift engine to provide additional aircraft thrust during cruise where an aircraft is typically using only a dedicated thrust engine for high speed flight. An inline engage/disengage actuator or 'shift fork' on the rotor gearbox is used to select the torque-output direction. The multiplier planetary gear set increases the output RPM that is received from the rotor gearbox and that is applied to the thrust fan unit.

Lift engine auxiliary thrust system for stop fold aircraft

An aircraft includes a pylon rotatable relative to a wing, a proprotor assembly carried by the pylon, the proprotor assembly have a proprotor blade that is foldable to a stowed position extending substantially parallel to the pylon, and a fluidic clamp positioned with the pylon and configured to grip the proprotor blade when in the stowed position, the fluidic clamp including a first inflatable bladder positioned on a first side of an opening for receiving a portion of a proprotor blade and a pressurized fluid source in fluid connection with the first inflatable bladder.

Stowed blade pneumatic clamp

A rotor assembly for use in an aircraft comprising has a rotor hub, a spinner structure comprising a spinner opening, and a rotor blade received through the spinner opening. The rotor blade has a rotor root located proximate to the rotor hub. The rotor assembly also has a motive fairing face that at least partially rests along the rotor hub.

Motive fairing assembly for use in rotorcrafts

An advancing blade concept rotorcraft includes an airframe and a pylon assembly subject to vibration. The pylon assembly includes a dual rotor system having coaxially disposed top and bottom rotor assemblies that counter rotate relative to one another. The advancing blade concept rotorcraft includes a vibration isolation system including at least one pylon link coupled to the airframe and the pylon assembly. The pylon link includes a Liquid Inertia Vibration Eliminator unit operable to reduce transmission of the pylon assembly vibration to the airframe. The advancing blade concept rotorcraft includes active force generators adjacent to the pylon assembly. The active force generators include a first active force generator producing a force in a first direction and a second active force generator producing a force in a second direction to counteract multidirectional oscillations of the pylon assembly, thereby reducing vibration of the advancing blade concept rotorcraft.

Vibration isolation systems for advancing blade concept rotorcraft

In some embodiments, a rotorcraft may include a yoke, a blade, a spindle associated with the yoke, and an elastomeric bearing assembly. The center length of the spindle may define a center axis that passes through a center of the elastomeric bearing assembly. The elastomeric bearing assembly may contain a housing coupled to the blade and disposed around the center axis that is configured to rotate in relation to the center axis. The elastomeric bearing assembly may contain an elastomeric shear bearing that has an interior portion coupled to the spindle and an exterior portion coupled to the housing. The elastomeric bearing assembly may contain an elastomeric centrifugal force bearing pressed against the housing. The shear bearing may be configured to counteract a torsional force, and the centrifugal force bearing may be configured to counteract a compression force.

Rotorcraft elastomeric bearing assembly

An exemplary proprotor blade assembly includes a structural skin extending spanwise from a root to a tip and along a chord from leading edge to a trailing edge and a structural core positioned inside of the structural skin, the structural skin comprising hex-shaped structures oriented normal to the structural skin.

Growing community of inventors

Keller, TX, United States of America

Christopher Edward Foskey