Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Joel J McIntyre

Christopher Edward Foskey

Michael Christopher Burnett

Frank B Stamps

Paul K Oldroyd

Gary Michael Miller

Jared Mark Paulson

Jeffrey Mark Bosworth

An afterbody for a rotor blade of a rotorcraft is unitarily formed of a single material of construction. The afterbody includes an upper surface disposed from a lower surface, a concave leading edge connected to the upper surface and the lower surface, and a trailing edge formed at an intersection of the upper surface with the lower surface.

Rotor blade afterbody

A tiltrotor aircraft includes a fuselage, a wing member extending from the fuselage, an engine disposed relative to the wing member and a proprotor mechanically coupled to the engine. The proprotor includes a plurality of proprotor blade assemblies each including a spar and a sheath extending spanwise along the spar forming the leading edge of the proprotor blade assembly. The spar has a root section, a main section and a tip section. The spar has a generally oval cross section at radial stations along the main section and a first edge having a structural bias relative to a generally oppositely disposed second edge at the radial stations along the main section.

Structurally biased proprotor blade assembly

A drive link includes a first bearing housing, a second bearing housing, and a central portion coupled between the first bearing housing and the second bearing housing. The central portion includes a central radial bearing configured such that the central portion twists in response to cocking of the first bearing housing relative to the second bearing housing.

Drive link for tiltrotor rotor system

A composite flexure that secures a rotor blade to a gimbaled yoke in a tiltrotor rotor system. The composite flexure includes a composite flexure member, a first end, and a second end. The first end of the composite flexure couples the composite flexure to the gimbaled yoke, and the second end of the composite flexure couples the composite flexure to the rotor blade. The composite flexure is twisted when the composite flexure is not subject to torsional loads in order to accommodate various forces imparted on the rotor system.

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Southlake, TX, United States of America

Joel J McIntyre