Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

United Technologies Corporation

Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation

Sikorsky Aricraft Corporation

Claude G Matalanis

Brian Ernest Wake

Ulf J Jonsson

Patrick Ormande Bowles

Zaffir A Chaudhry

Andrzej Ernest Kuczek

Razvan Virgil Florea

Barbara Brenda Botros

John D Cannata

ByungYoung Min

Alan Matthew Finn

Fanping Sun

Harshad S Sane

Vijaya Ramaraju Lakamraju

Paul R Brewer

Thomas Gregory Tillman

Donald W Fowler

Derek H Geiger

Byung-Young Min

Blake Almy Moffitt

Mark B Stucky

Derek Geiger

Byung Young Min

Razan Virgil Florea

According to one aspect, a lubricant level sensing system for an actuator is provided. The lubricant level sensing system includes a pressure port in an outer housing of the actuator, a pressure sensor, and a pathway from the pressure port to the pressure sensor. The pathway establishes fluid communication between the pressure sensor and a free volume of an internal cavity of the outer housing relative to a lubricant level in the internal cavity such that the pressure sensor detects a pressure of the free volume used to derive the lubricant level.

Lubricant level sensing for an actuator

An aircraft is provided and includes a fuselage including a top and a tail, a main rotor apparatus disposed at the top of the fuselage, which rotates one or more rotors to generate lift, and an active flow control (AFC) system. The AFC system includes plasma actuators configured to generate plasma at a location adjacent to the main rotor apparatus and/or at the tail of the fuselage.

Active flow control system

A rotary wing aircraft includes a fuselage having a plurality of surfaces, at least one engine mounted in the fuselage, and a rotor assembly including a rotor shaft and plurality of rotor blades operatively connected to the rotor shaft. The rotor assembly includes a plurality of surface portions. A rotor shaft fairing extends between the fuselage and the rotor assembly and about at least a portion of the rotor shaft. The rotor shaft fairing includes an outer surface. A plate member is mounted to and projects proudly of the at least a portion of the rotor shaft fairing. The plate member is configured and disposed to increase an aspect ratio of and reduce induced drag on the rotor shaft fairing as well as reduce rotor hub wake size.

Plate member for reducing drag on a fairing of an aircraft

A rotary wing aircraft includes a fuselage having a plurality of surfaces. At least one engine is mounted in the fuselage. A rotor assembly includes a rotor shaft a plurality of rotor blades operatively connected to the rotor shaft. The rotor assembly includes a plurality of surface portions. An active air discharge opening extends through one of the plurality of surfaces of the fuselage and one of the plurality of surface portions of the rotor assembly, and an active air generation system is mounted in the fuselage. The active air generation system is configured and disposed to generate and direct a flow of air through the active air discharge opening to disrupt an airstream flowing over the one of the plurality of surfaces of the fuselage and the one of the plurality of surface portions of the rotor assembly.

Active airflow system and method of reducing drag for aircraft

A boundary layer ingesting (BLI) blade having a span is provided and includes a root section connectable to a hub, a tip section disposable at a distance from the hub and having a pitch and a body extending in a spanwise dimension from the root section to the tip section. The root section has a local pitch from the root section to about a 70% span location, which is less than the pitch at the tip section, to thereby reduce local angles of attack in a boundary layer region defined in and around the root section.

Boundary layer ingesting blade

An electromechanical rotary actuator including a housing including first end that extends to a second end through an intermediate portion that defines a longitudinal axis, and an internal cavity. An electric motor is arranged within the internal cavity. The electric motor includes a shaft having first shaft end and a second shaft end. A drive member is arranged within the housing along the longitudinal axis. The drive member includes an input shaft operatively coupled to the first shaft end and an output shaft. An output shaft member is coupled to the output shaft of the drive member. At least one bearing assembly supports one of the output shaft member and the first shaft end, and a preload member is arranged within the housing and configured to apply a compressive axial force to the at least one bearing, the drive member and the electric motor.

Electromechanical rotary actuator and method

A gas turbine engine has an inlet duct formed to have a shape with a first ellipse in one half and a second ellipse in a second half. The second half has an upstream most end which is smaller than the first ellipse. The inlet duct has a surface defining the second ellipse which curves away from the first ellipse, such that the second ellipse is larger at an intermediate location. The second ellipse is even larger at a downstream end of the inlet duct leading into a fan.

Gas turbine engine inlet wall design

A rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade including one or more pockets and a housing located on the rotor blade within one or more pockets. The housing is secured to the rotor blade via one or more dovetail joints. A drive mechanism for a control surface of a rotor blade includes an actuator and a rocker operably connected to the actuator. At least one hinge rod is operably connected to the rocker and operably connected to a control surface at a control surface pivot. The drive mechanism translates substantially linear motion of the actuator into rotational motion of the control surface about the control surface pivot.

Modular integrated device for rotor blade control

A rotary wing aircraft includes a rotor assembly includes a rotor sensor generating a rotor sensor time domain signal; a rotor transform module converting the rotor sensor time domain signal to a rotor sensor frequency domain signal; and a rotor transceiver for transmitting the rotor sensor frequency domain signal over a transfer medium; an airframe assembly including: an airframe transceiver receiving the rotor sensor frequency domain signal; and an airframe transform module converting the rotor sensor frequency domain signal to the rotor sensor time domain signal. Signals from the airframe assembly may also be converted to the frequency domain prior to transfer over the transfer medium to the rotor assembly.

Harmonic data transfer in rotary wing aircraft

A rotor hub fairing system for use in a counter-rotating, coaxial rotary wing aircraft is provided including an upper hub fairing defined about an axis. A lower hub fairing is similarly defined about the axis. An airfoil shaped shaft fairing is disposed between the upper hub fairing and the lower hub fairing. The airfoil shaped shaft fairing has a thickness to chord (t/c) ratio in the range of about 20% and about 45%.

Low drag high restoring moment airfoils

A helicopter includes an airframe, and a rotor system mounted to the airframe. The rotor system includes a plurality of rotor blades. Each of the plurality of rotor blades includes a root portion that extends to a tip portion through an airfoil portion. The airfoil portion includes first and second surfaces. An effector is mounted within the airfoil portion of at least one of the plurality of rotor blades. The effector includes a first end portion that extends to a second end portion through an intermediate portion, and a flap arranged at the second end portion. The effector is selectively actuated to shift from a first, stowed, position wherein the flap is positioned within the at least one rotor blade to a second, deployed, position, wherein flap projects through at least one of the first and second surfaces of the at least one rotor blade.

Growing community of inventors

Longmeadow, MA, United States of America

Claude G Matalanis