Westland Helicopters Limited

Christopher N West

David M Rees

Andrew D Belben

Brian F Seymour

A strut assembly includes an axially elastically extensible tube having attachment means at each end and an axially extensible actuator attached within the tube and between its ends so that reciprocal axial extensions of the actuator cause elastic longitudinal displacements of the strut assembly. Such a strut assembly is particularly useful for transmitting operational loads between parts of a structure and for inputting periodic loads into one of the parts as part of an active vibration control system.

Strut assemblies

A method for detecting a crack in the main load bearing spar of a hilicopter rotor blade consists of attaching a capillary tube along an external surface of the spar and connecting the interior of the tube to a supply of colored liquid contained in a reservoir at a root end of the blade, whereby a crack in the spar causes a corresponding crack in the capillary tube resulting in visible leakage of the colored liquid.

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Somerset, United Kingdom

Christopher N West