Textron Innovations Inc.

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Bell Textron Inc.

Tom Donovan

Frank B Stamps

Richard Erler Rauber

Patrick R Tisdale

David Popelka

James Braswell, Jr

Thomas C Campbell

David A Popelka

Bryan Kenneth Baskin

Jared Mark Paulson

Michael Christopher Burnett

Glenn Alan Shimek

Keith Alan Stanney

John James Corrigan

Mark E Wasikowski

Ryan Smith

James L Braswell

John J Corrigan, Iii

John J Iii Corrigan

A rotorcraft includes a main rotor system coupled to a mast and a rotor assembly. The rotor assembly includes a yoke comprising a rotor coupling, a first damper mount attached to the rotor coupling, a rotor extension configured to couple to the rotor coupling and comprising a second damper mount, a damper coupled to the first and second damper mounts, and a fairing enclosing the damper and the yoke.

Low-drag fairing and rotor assembly

A rotary system and method to control feathering and centrifugal forces of a rotor blade during flight. The rotary system having a hub assembly, which includes a hollow yoke arm to receive a spindle section of the rotor blade. A tension-torsion strap extends through the hollow yoke arm and couples the rotor blade and the hub assembly. The method includes allowing the spindle section of the rotor blade to pivot within the hollow yoke arm and controlling rotational and centrifugal movement of the rotor blade with the tension-torsion strap.

Hub assembly with grease lubricated roller bearing and tension-torsion strap

A rotor assembly for a rotary-wing aircraft, the rotor having a central hub assembly with a flexure-type, twist-shank yoke with multiple arms, each arm being adapted for a rotor blade to be mounted thereto. The arms provide for pitch changes of blades attached to the yoke through twisting of portions of the arms about a corresponding pitch axis. An inboard pitch bearing associated with each arm is attached to the hub assembly and allows for rotation of the attached blade about the pitch axis, the inboard pitch bearing also allowing for out-of-plane motion of the arm relative to the hub assembly about a flapping axis. An outboard pitch bearing associated with each arm is attached to the associated arm a selected distance from the inboard pitch bearing and allows for rotation of the attached blade about the pitch axis.

Stiff-in-plane rotor configuration

An aircraft rotor assembly has upper and lower hub plates adapted to be mounted to a central rotor mast for rotation therewith. A plurality of radial arms is connected to at least two flap bearings mounted between the hub plates and forming a discrete flap hinge, each flap hinge defining a flap axis and allowing rotation of the associated arm relative to the hub plates and about the corresponding flap axis. Each of a plurality of blade grips is rotatably connected to one of the arms for rotation about a pitch axis and adapted for mounting of a blade to each blade grip, such that each blade is capable of rotation with the grip about the pitch axis and capable of rotation together with the corresponding arm relative to the hub plates and about the corresponding flap axis.

Aircraft rotor with discrete flap hinge

A pitch control system for blades on a rotor of an aircraft has a gimballing rotor hub () and a plurality of step-over arms () connected to the hub and capable of pivoting relative to the hub about a pivot axis. Each of a plurality of pitch links () connects one of the step-over arms () to a flight control system for pivoting the connected step-over arm () about the pivot axis and relative to the hub in response to inputs from the control system. Each of a plurality of step-over links () connects one of the step-over arms () to one of the blades for rotating the associated blade about the pitch axis in response to pivoting of the associated step-over arm.

Step-over blade-pitch control system

A yoke for a rotary wing aircraft rotor system has a plurality of arms, each arm having a root. Each root has a notched portion configured to allow passage of a portion of a blade-pitch control system through the notched portion.

Yoke with notched arm roots

Growing community of inventors

Fort Worth, TX, United States of America

Tom Donovan