Textron Innovations Inc.

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Bell Textron Inc.

Other

Mark Adam Wiinikka

John R McCullough

Frank B Stamps

Nathan Patrick Green

Russell S Cole

Paul K Oldroyd

John Richard Mccullough

Mithat Yuce

William Russell Cleary, Jr

Scott Hemmen

Scott David Poster

Richard Erler Rauber

Charles Hubert Speller

Thomas Clement Parham, Jr

Glenn Alan Shimek

Zachary Edwin Dailey

Kevin Knott

Thomas J Newman

Matthew Curtis Ledbetter

James Blake

Kyle Thomas Cravener

Bryan Kenneth Baskin

Andrew Ryan Maresh

Jouyoung Jason Choi

Patrick R Tisdale

Thomas Mast

David Popelka

Maurice D Griffin

Amarjit Olenchery Kizhakkepat

Joshua Allan Edler

Michael Dean Dearman

Daniel P Sottiaux

Robert Alan Self

Joseph Daniel Leachman

Chad Lewis Jarrett

Hunter Jay Davis

Timothy Kent Ledbetter

Terry K Thompson

David Allen Haynie

Tom Campbell

Ron Measom

Joseph J Zierer

Stanley G Sadler

Vitthal Vishnuthreeth Arakeri

Tricia Hiros

Charles L Baskin

Chyau J Tzeng

David Platz

Ronnie Lee Martin

Sarah R Villanueva

Alvin Jones

James L Braswell

David A Popelka

Pin-Lin Chiou

Bob Thornton

Brian Mesing

Zach Dailey

D J Reddy

Edith Richard

Jim Harse

Bob Mullins

Vince Calabrese

Daniel John Burns

Samantha Renee Lucero

Steven Paul Pape

Billy Joe Benda

Sarah Villanueva

Ronnie L Martin

Stanley Gene Sadler

Timothy K Ledbetter

Edwin Dailey Zachary

William Cleary

Frank Bradley Stamps

Chyau Tzeng

Joseph Leachman

Jr Charles Hubert Speller

Thomas C Parham

A back-to-back spherical bearing assembly for a rotary system of a rotary aircraft includes a spherical bearing member having an interior cavity and a spherical bearing surface defining a bearing focal point, a first elastomeric and a second elastomeric bonded to the spherical bearing surface on opposite sides of the bearing focal point, an inboard attachment bonded to the first elastomeric and configured to be secured to a rotor hub of the rotary system, and an outboard attachment bonded to the second elastomeric and configured to be secured to a rotor blade of the rotary system.

Inner member for main rotor centrifugal force bearing

An exemplary rotorcraft lockout system includes a main rotor lockout comprising a base operable to be attached to a bottom surface of a fuselage and a first and a second tension arm operable to be connected to the base and a main rotor hub, and a tail rotor lockout including a clamp operable to connect to a horizontal stabilizer, a rotor arm connector operable to connect to a tail rotor hub, and a tail rotor tension arm operable to interconnect the clamp and the rotor arm connector in tension.

Rotorcraft lockout during transport

A swashplate assembly includes: a mounting sleeve configured for coupling to and around an upper portion of a gearbox, wherein the mounting sleeve extends downwards from the upper portion of the gearbox; a tilt sleeve coupled to the mounting sleeve, wherein the tilt sleeve has a curved exterior surface; a non-rotating swashplate ring positioned around the tilt sleeve, wherein the non-rotating swashplate ring has a first set of pitch control connectors and an anti-rotation connector; a rotating swashplate ring rotatable about the non-rotating swashplate ring, wherein the rotating swashplate ring has a second set of pitch control connectors and a drive link connector; and a first bearing system mounted between the non-rotating swashplate ring and the rotating swashplate ring.

Reduced height swashplate assembly

A strut assembly for a vibration isolation device is disclosed, comprising a piston spindle; a first elastomeric member and a second elastomeric member bonded to the piston spindle and in contact with an upper housing and a lower housing, respectively; a first strut support and a second strut support attached to or integral with the upper housing and the lower housing, respectively; a first strut spindle and the second strut support configured to be placed in the first strut support and the second strut support, respectively; and one or more removable struts configured to be engaged to the first strut spindle and to the second strut spindle, wherein at least one of the first or second strut spindles is removable such that the one or more struts can be replaced without breaking a bonding of the first elastomeric member, the second elastomeric member, or both.

Removable struts for vibration isolation device mounting system

A rotorcraft main rotor system, including a yoke, a rotor blade, and a grip assembly attaching the rotor blade to the yoke. The grip assembly includes a grip body formed from a contiguous laminated composite and has a substantially constant thickness, where the grip body has an upper extension, a lower extension and a connecting portion connected between an inboard end of the upper extension and an inboard end of the lower extension. An inside surface of the upper extension faces, and is substantially parallel to, an inside surface of the lower extension, and the upper extension has first features and the lower extension has second features that are aligned with the first features, where the first features and second features each include at least one of an edge contour, attachment holes, or first protective elements.

Rotorcraft glade grip

One embodiment includes a swashplate assembly for a rotary aircraft, including: a rotating ring configured to rotate with a drive shaft of the rotary aircraft; a non-rotating ring coupled to the rotating ring and rotationally decoupled from the rotating ring, wherein the non-rotating ring does not rotate with the rotating ring and drive shaft; an outer casing disposed around the gearbox; and an anti-drive mechanism to maintain the outer casing rotationally stationary relative to the gearbox, the anti-drive mechanism including a key and slot system between the gearbox and the outer casing.

Anti-drive mechanism for rotary aircraft control

A rotorcraft having a rotor system including a yoke, a plurality of grip assemblies, each of which is hingedly attach a rotor blade to the yoke, a plurality of flap stops, each flap stop attached to a respective grip assembly, a channel bounded by an upper and lower retaining surfaces, and a droop ring slideably disposed in the channel of the droop limiting system. The droop ring has a body with an inner surface, an outer surface, and a first end surface between the inner surface and the outer surface. The droop ring further has a first wear element removably disposed at the first end surface and extending above the first end surface and spaces the first end surface apart from the channel. Each flap stop is arranged to contact the outer surface of the droop ring and limit a downward droop of the respective rotor blade.

Droop ring with removable wear elements

An embodiment rotorcraft main rotor system, including a yoke, a rotor blade, and a grip assembly attaching the rotor blade to the yoke. The grip assembly includes a grip body formed from a contiguous laminated composite and has a substantially constant thickness, where the grip body has an upper extension, a lower extension and a connecting portion connected between an inboard end of the upper extension and an inboard end of the lower extension. An inside surface of the upper extension faces, and is substantially parallel to, an inside surface of the lower extension, and the upper extension has first features and the lower extension has second features that are aligned with the first features, where the first features and second features each include at least one of an edge contour, attachment holes, or first protective elements.

Rotorcraft blade grip

The present invention includes a safety apparatus and method for protecting users during maintenance operations for a rotorcraft comprising: at least one permanent, semi-permanent, or detachable safety bar, strap, fastener, hook, or loop that is attached or attachable to a rotorcraft, wherein the safety bar, strap, fastener, hook, or loop is positioned in an area or surface between a windshield of the rotorcraft and a tail boom of the rotorcraft and is connectable to a user safety device to provide fall protection from the area or surface.

Rotorcraft fall restraint protection attach points and mechanism systems

An exemplary pitch lock for a tiltrotor aircraft to enable and disable a pitching degree of freedom of a rotor blade assembly includes a first tab coupled to a blade stop assembly, the first tab having a first ramp surface, a second tab coupled to a blade cuff, the second tab having a second ramp surface, a hasp having a central opening to receive the first and the second tab and rollers rotatably coupled to the hasp on opposite sides of the central opening, where the rollers engage the first and second ramp surfaces and retain the first and the second tabs in the central opening.

Elastomeric pitch lock restraint

A centrifugal force (CF) bearing for a rotorcraft rotor assembly includes an inner-member, an outer-member, and an elastic member interposed between the inner- and outer-members. The inner-member includes a boss configured for location to and engagement with a yoke. The boss includes a tapered profile (e.g., conic) portion. A tapered recess region of the yoke includes a profile that is substantially matched to receive and contact the tapered profile of the boss. The CF bearing is configured for attachment to a grip of the rotor assembly. The boss is configured to communicate mechanical loads (e.g., centrifugal force, lateral shear, vertical shear) from the grip to the yoke during operation of the rotor assembly.

Rotorcraft centrifugal force bearing

An example rotating swashplate ring to rotor mast connection includes a polygon-shaped drive tube secured to the rotor mast and a gimbal joint connected between the rotating swashplate ring and the polygon-shaped drive tube, wherein the gimbal joint rotates with the rotor mast and can translate axially along the polygon-shaped drive tube.

Rotating swashplate ring to rotor mast connection

A centrifugal force (CF) bearing for a rotorcraft rotor assembly includes an inner-member, an outer-member, and an elastic member interposed between the inner- and outer-members. The outer-member includes an upper flange extension and a lower flange extension for location to and engagement with a grip. The upper flange extension is disposed over an upper surface portion of the elastic member, and the lower flange extension is disposed under a lower surface portion of the elastic member. The CF bearing is configured for attachment to a grip of the rotor assembly. The outer-member is configured to communicate mechanical loads (e.g., centrifugal force, lateral shear, vertical shear) from the grip to the yoke during operation of the rotor assembly.

A composite manufacturing system has a tool having a substantially planar first portion and a substantially planar second portion, a first carriage configured to carry a first roller that is configured to selectively apply pressure to the first portion, a second carriage configured to carry a second roller that is configured to selectively apply pressure to the second portion, and the first carriage and the second carriage are movable relative to the tool.

Composite manufacturing machine

Growing community of inventors

Hurst, TX, United States of America

Mark Adam Wiinikka