Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Textron Innovations Inc.

Dharam Jithender Reddy

Patrick R Tisdale

James Braswell, Jr

Robert Arnold Brack

Bobby A Collins

Ernest A Powell

Theodore W Ingram, Iii

Ronald Dean Rice

Glenn R Grimes

A helicopter rotor yoke includes a composite laminate having a plurality of plies of fibers disposed in a polymeric matrix. The polymeric matrix includes a toughened polymer at one of a location or zone that experiences high strain levels during use of the rotor yoke.

Helicopter rotor yoke

An edge member for use on a composite flexure having an exposed edge surface. The edge member includes an innermost composite ply attached to the edge surface, an outermost composite ply attached to the innermost composite ply, and at least one interior composite ply disposed between the innermost composite ply and the outermost composite ply.

Protective edge members for composite flexures

An improved helicopter landing gear assembly to substantially increase useful service life. The crosstubes are constructed of a material that allows use of thicker crosstubes thereby reducing the operating stress in the crosstubes and helping to increase the fatigue life, while at the same time preserving the required energy absorption characteristics. The inside and outside of the crosstubes are shot peened to help increase the fatigue life. The crosstubes are formed in an unstable temper condition thereby reducing the stress that is induced into the part during formation, and thus helping to increase the fatigue life. The straps are connected to the crosstubes by fasteners located at the sides of the straps and closer to the neutral bending axis of the crosstube so that the fasteners and the fastener holes are subjected to lower stress levels. The combination of these improvements results in a substantially increased life of the landing gear assembly.

Helicopter landing gear assembly

Growing community of inventors

Hurst, TX, United States of America

Dharam Jithender Reddy