Airbus Helicopters

Eurocopter

Stephane Mazet

Jean-Romain Bihel

Jean Joseph Mondet

Sylvain Berthalon

Philippe Maurice Antomarchi

Matthieu Ferrant

Mathias Fournier

Sandra Bencardino

Jean-Marc Latorre

A lead-lag damper arranged inside a blade of a rotor of a rotary wing aircraft. The lead-lag damper comprises an inner strength member provided with a cage in which a ball-joint connection is arranged, an outer strength member for securing to the blade, and an elastomer material member arranged between the two strength members. The two strength members and the elastomer material member extending beyond the zone around the cage so that the relative movements between two strength members resulting from the movements of the blade are damped by deformations of the elastomer material member, at least a portion of the lead-lag damper being designed to occupy a portion of the inside of the blade that is conventionally filled with foam.

Lead-lag damper integrated inside a blade of a rotor

A rotorcraft rotor comprising a hub made up of a monolithic body of composite material obtained by stacking successive layers of carbon fiber fabric dusted with a thermoplastic resin and compressed while hot. The hub is provided with branches on which respective blades are mounted via hinge systems, each including a strength member bearing radially against a corresponding branch. The strength members are individually received in sockets defined on fabrication so that when the rotor is set into rotation at a predefined operating speed, the radial thrust seat for enabling the strength members to bear against the branches present bearing surfaces that are cylindrical, the radial thrust seats then being of shape complementary to a cylindrical bearing surface of the corresponding strength member.

Rotorcraft rotor comprising a hub made of composite materials obtained from carbon fiber fabric dusted in a thermoplastic resin

A rotor having a hub and a plurality of lift assemblies, the rotor having one lead/lag abutment mechanism per lift assembly. Each abutment mechanism includes an elastomer spacer strip and two C-shaped metal clips engaged respectively on a first base and on a second base of the strip. Two fastener pins each pass through a clip and the longitudinal projections of a base and through an orifice in the hub.

Rotor including a lead/lag abutment mechanism, and an aircraft

A rotorcraft rotor with hinged blades, includes: a hub; a plurality of blades hinged to flap relative to the hub; bottom abutments of the hub, and bottom abutments of the blades suitable for co-operating with the bottom abutments of the hub; and top abutments of the hub, and top abutments of the blades suitable for co-operating with the top abutments of the hub; the top abutments of the hub being movable between a deployed position in which they extend facing the top abutments of the blades, and a retracted position in which they are offset angularly away from the top abutments of the blades. The rotor also includes elements for locking the top abutments of the hub in the deployed position, and inertial means for releasing the top abutments of the hub and for deactivating the locking means.

Growing community of inventors

Rognac, France

Stephane Mazet