Airbus Helicopters

Eurocopter

Pierre Prud'Homme-Lacroix

Patrice Garcin

Olivier Bistuer

Joseph Mairou

Robert Dubois

Remy-Elian Arnaud

Brice Makinadjian

Rémy-Elian Arnaud

An aircraft provided with a rotary wing driven by a mechanical kinematic linkage, the aircraft having a power plant provided with at least one engine, the mechanical kinematic linkage comprising a free-wheel associated with the engine, the free-wheel comprising a driving part and a driven part, the driving part being connected by a mechanical connection to a working shaft of the associated engine and the driven part being connected kinematically to the rotary wing. A disengageable connection is arranged in parallel with the free-wheel in order to transmit mechanical power between the rotary wing and the engine on request, the power plant having a braking system comprising an engine brake of the engine.

Power plant for a rotary-wing aircraft provided with an engine brake as well as with a free-wheel and a disengageable connection in parallel

Landing gear for an aircraft, the landing gear having at least one pair of shock absorbers comprising a first shock absorber and a second shock absorber, each shock absorber comprising a cylinder defining an inside space and a rod carrying a piston, the inside space being subdivided at least into a 'primary' chamber and into a 'secondary' chamber, the shock absorber including at least one throttling orifice putting the secondary chamber into fluid flow communication with the primary chamber. The primary chamber of the first shock absorber is connected to the secondary chamber of the second shock absorber of the pair by a first pipe, and the secondary chamber of the first shock absorber of the pair is connected to the primary chamber of the second shock absorber of the pair by a second pipe.

Aircraft and landing gear provided with at least one pair of shock absorbers, and a method performed by said landing gear

A structural frame for a fuselage of an aircraft. The frame is formed from a composite material profile comprising curved zones () that interconnect together zones to be joined of the frame, having respective orientations. Each of the curved zones () of the frame is geometrically defined by at least one radius of curvature. The value of the radius of curvature (R), geometrically defining a curved zone () of the frame varies as a function of the curvilinear abscissa of each points on the inside periphery of the inside flange from any point of the curved zone relative to a given reference point (P).

Aircraft fuselage frame made of laminated composite materials and including reinforcement curved zones of varying value of radius of curvature

A fastener system () having attachment means () for attaching an external load to a rotorcraft, said fastener system () having a support beam () for attaching the attachment means () to a rotorcraft, said support beam () having a horizontal core () and two lateral section members () extending in elevation from said horizontal core (), said fastener system () having a support member () in a central space () between said lateral section members () to carry attachment means (), said support member () being connected to each lateral section member (). Each lateral section member () includes a web () in elevation connected to the horizontal core (), each web () presenting an obtuse angle (&#x3b1;) relative to said horizontal core () in said central space (), each lateral section member () being a sloping section member capable of moving closer to said horizontal core () under the effect of vertical forces.

System for fastening a load to a rotorcraft, and a rotorcraft

A rotorcraft provided with an anti-torque tail rotor having a drive axis of constant orientation and having a rotor disk that is arranged mainly to one side of the tail boom of the rotorcraft. A control mechanism for controlling the blades of the tail rotor includes a rotary control plate engaged with the blades and movable by a control rod extending along the drive axis of the tail rotor. The control plate is arranged in a constant mounting plane (PM) and serves to provide permanent cyclic variation in the pitch of the blades. Turning the control rod changes the way in which the cyclical variation of the pitch of the blades is operated between providing a contribution to lift and providing a contribution to propulsion in translation of the rotorcraft, depending on the angular orientation of the control plate in its mounting plane (PM).

Rotorcraft fitted with an anti-torque tail rotor that contributes selectively to providing the rotorcraft with lift and with propulsion in translation

A suspension system () of an aircraft (). The suspension system () comprises a fastener device () including a coupling member () suitable for carrying a load () with a sling (). The suspension system () has a return device () that comprises a linkage () provided with a plurality of bars () hinged in pairs to apply a non-linear force to the coupling device (), said linkage () being suitable for fastening to a load-carrier structure () of an aircraft (). In addition, the return device () includes a tie () connecting said linkage () to the coupling device (), as well as a spring member () fastened to a bar () of the linkage () and suitable for being connected to an aircraft ().

Suspension system for carrying an external load with an aircraft, and an aircraft

A protection device () for protecting a fuselage () of a rotorcraft () against a pyramid-shaped structure () for carrying a load, which pyramid-shape structure has a frame having a quadrilateral shape together with a first pair () of two arms () and a second pair () of two arms (), each arm extending in elevation from the frame up towards an apex (). The protection device includes a protective plate (), a blade () secured to the protective plate () for exerting a force on the two arms of the first pair, and a chevron () provided with two branches connected to the protective plate () in order to tend to move the arms of the second pair transversely apart from each other.

Device for protecting a rotorcraft against a pyramid-shaped structure for carrying a load

The present invention relates to landing gear having a first skid, a second skid, a front cross-member, and a rear cross-member. The landing gear includes at least one stiffener arranged on a cross-member, said stiffener having two rockers each extending from an outer end secured to the cross-member, two hinge means for hinging each rocker to a carrier structure, and an elongate link member extending between a first link end hinged to the first rocker to a second link end hinged to the second rocker.

Skid landing gear having at least one cross-member with rockers, and an aircraft

A hybrid aircraft () having a fuselage () extending longitudinally along an anteroposterior plane of symmetry (PSYM) from the rear () of the aircraft () towards the front () of the aircraft (). The aircraft () has a rotary wing () carried by the fuselage () of a lift surface () fastened to the fuselage () and constituted by a first half-wing () and a second half-wing (). The aircraft () has a first propulsion unit () carried by the first half-wing () and a second propulsion unit () carried by the second half-wing (). Each propulsion unit () includes at least one tractor propeller (), and at least one propulsion unit has two propellers (--) on the same axis, each of said propellers rotating about an axis of rotation (AX) that is offset transversely from said anteroposterior plane of symmetry (PSYM).

Rotary wing rotorcraft having a plurality of propellers

Aircraft landing gear () having a first skid () and a second skid (), together with two cross-members, each having a first branch () secured to the first skid () and a second branch () secured to the second skid (), and a central portion () secured to the downward first branch () and to the second branch (). The landing gear () has at least one stiffener () with at least one connecting rod () and at least one limiter means () for limiting roll deformation of the central portion () of a cross-member, each limiter means () being secured to said central portion () of the cross-member, at least one main hinge () hinging each connecting rod to said limiter means and a secondary hinge () connecting each connecting rod to an outside point that is outside the central portion () in order to limit the deformation of the central portion () as a result of a roll movement of an aircraft ().

Landing gear provided with a stiffener for increasing its stiffness in roll, and an aircraft

A rotary wing aircraft () provided with an emergency undercarriage () for mitigating a failure of a basic undercarriage () of the rotary wing aircraft (). Said emergency undercarriage comprises a main member () that extends from a first end () to a second end (), said emergency undercarriage () having deployment means () for deploying the main member () out from a housing () in order to take over from a basic undercarriage () of a rotary wing aircraft () in the event of a failure, said emergency undercarriage () being provided with holder means () for holding it in position to block said main member () when said main member () is deployed out from said housing ().

Rotary wing aircraft provided with an emergency undercarriage

A method of minimizing the consequences for the occupants of a rotary wing aircraft () of an off-specification landing with forward and/or downward acceleration vectors. The aircraft () extends along an anteroposterior longitudinal plane of symmetry () in elevation separating a first side () of said aircraft () from a second side () thereof. Said rotary wing () comprises at least one rotor () driven in rotation by a main gearbox () and being provided with a plurality of blades (). Said main gearbox () being fastened to a structure () of said aircraft () by a plurality of fastener elements () comprising at least one first fastener element () disposed on said first side () and at least one second fastener element () disposed on said second side (). Said first and second fastener elements () are dimensioned differently so that the strength of said at least one first fastener element () is greater than the strength of said at least one second fastener element ().

Method and a rotary wing aircraft that are optimized so as to minimize the consequences for the occupants of said aircraft of an off-specification emergency landing

A reusable bumper () for a rotorcraft () suitable for protecting a rear end () of said rotorcraft (). The bumper () comprises a resilient outer shell () forming a first chamber () having a resilient inner shell () placed therein and forming a second chamber (), said outer shell () having at least one main orifice (), said inner shell () being provided with management means () for managing the pressure that exists inside said second chamber () and suitable for enabling said pressure to increase up to a predetermined threshold in order to inform the pilot that the bumper () has made contact with the ground (S), and then to enable said pressure to drop in order to absorb energy resulting from said contact.

Reusable rotorcraft bumper, and a rotorcraft having such a bumper

The present invention relates to a tail skid () for a rotorcraft (), the tail skid comprising a contact blade () extending from a contact first end (') towards a second end (&#x2033;), said contact first end (&#x2032;) being provided with a top face () suitable for facing a structure () of the rotorcraft () and a bottom face () suitable for facing towards the ground () when said tail skid () is fastened to a rotorcraft () standing on the ground (), said bottom face () having a first area. The tail skid includes an additional contact member () suitable for preventing said bottom face () from coming into contact with the ground (), and fastener means () for fastening said additional member () to said first end (&#x2032;), said additional member () having a fastener face () and a contact face () presenting a second area that is greater than said first area, the fastener means () holding said fastener face () against said bottom face () so that said bottom face () is completely covered by said additional member ().

Tail skid for protecting a structural element of an aircraft, an aircraft provided with such a tail skid, and an anti-overturning method implemented by said tail skid

Growing community of inventors

Vitrolles, France

Pierre Prud'Homme-Lacroix