Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Textron Innovations Inc.

Walter West Riley

Eric Albert Sinusas

Scott David Poster

Charles Eric Covington

Charles Hubert Speller

David A Elliott

Charles J Kilmain

Ron Measom

Keith Hale

Sherman S Lin

Carlos Alexander Fenny

Daniel Bryan Robertson

Brian Edward Tucker

Dudley E Smith

Monte McGlaun

Joseph Wendelsdorf

Kenneth Myron Jackson

Gary Cope

Joseph W Wendelsdorf

A non-pressurized accessory gearbox for an aircraft includes: a housing, one or more gears disposed within the housing, an input rotating member to receive input from a main rotor gearbox via a shaft connected to the one or more gears, and one or more output rotating members in communication with the one or more gears. The gearbox is configured to utilize splash lubrication for moving a lubrication fluid within the housing.

Non-pressurized accessory gearbox

A ring gear includes a ring having one or more sets of inwardly facing teeth, a circumferential flange extending outward from the ring, and the flange is mounted between a first housing and a second housing. In addition, the flange protrudes into an ambient air outside the first housing and second housing.

Flange-mounted ring gear for improved heat management

The device is configured for moving a fluid within a gearbox. In one illustrative embodiment, the device includes a base portion coupled to a rotatable member within the gearbox. An inlet portion of the device is configured to draw the fluid from a reservoir portion of the gearbox. The device is configured to utilize a centrifugal force for moving the fluid from the inlet portion toward the base portion along an interior surface of a conical portion. In another illustrative embodiment, the device includes a conical portion having an external threaded portion configured to capture a fluid during a rotation of the device. In such an embodiment, the threaded portion is configured to utilize a centrifugal force for moving the fluid captured by the threaded portion along an exterior surface of the conical portion.

Direct drive device for passively moving fluid

In one particular embodiment, a method for making a fiber-reinforced, composite article having an internal passageway includes providing a layup tool, fiber placing a base layup onto the layup tool, and generating a groove in the base layup. The method further includes placing a mandrel in the groove, fiber placing a top layup onto the base layup and the mandrel, curing the base layup and the top layup, and removing the mandrel from the base layup and the top layup. In another particular embodiment, the mandrel is replaced with a non-removable tube.

Method of making a composite article having an internal passageway

Direct drive rotation device for passively moving fluid

A method of repairing a component comprises identifying a non-compliant surface of the component, wherein the non-compliant surface is not within an allowable tolerance, cold spraying a powder comprising a metal onto the non-compliant surface, and forming a coating comprising the metal over the non-compliant surface, wherein an outer surface of the coating is within an allowable tolerance. In an embodiment, the method of repairing an outer component further comprises machining the outer surface of the coating. In an embodiment, the component is a shaft, a rotor mast, an input quill, or a bearing. In an embodiment, the component contains electronic equipment during the cold spraying, and wherein the cold spraying does not damage the electronic equipment. In an embodiment, the component is repaired without subjecting the component to a hydrogen embrittlement bake.

Methods utilizing cold spray techniques for repairing and protecting rotary components of aviation propulsion systems

A diagnosis system and method to detect wear between a first set of teeth of a first gear and a second set of teeth of a second intermeshing gear, the diagnosis system having a first target associated with the first set of teeth, a second target associated with the second set of teeth, a first sensor adapted to detect the location of the first target, a second sensor adapted to detect the location of the second target, and a processing system in data communication with the first sensor and the second sensor, the processing system being adapted to process a spatial relationship between the first target relative to the second target after a time lapse of rotation between the first set of teeth and the second set of teeth.

System and method for developing fault diagnostics and failure prognosis of spline wear in a drive system

A speed control assembly includes an input drive shaft coupled to a first gear subassembly having a rotatable gear, a second gear subassembly coupled to an output drive shaft, and a linkage coupling the first and second gear subassemblies, wherein the input drive shaft, the first and second gear subassemblies, and the linkage are configured such that a rotational speed of the rotatable gear adjusts a ratio of a rotational speed of the output drive shaft to a rotational speed of the output drive shaft. In some embodiments, the first gear subassembly includes a sun gear coupled to the input drive shaft, one or more planet gears, and a ring gear as the rotatable gear. In some embodiments, the second gear subassembly includes a sun gear coupled to the output drive shaft, one or more planet gears, and a fixed ring gear.

Speed control assembly and methods of using same

The cooling system of the present disclosure is configured to promote heat transfer in a gearbox. The system can include a container for housing a gas, the gas having a sufficient percentage of helium so that once the gas is introduced into the gearbox, the helium increases heat transfer from the heat generating components of the gearbox. The method of the present disclosure can include selectively introducing the helium gas into the gearbox.

Aircraft gearbox gaseous cooling system

A method of optimizing an operation of a rotorcraft includes measuring actual usage of the tail rotor drive shaft during operation of the rotorcraft, the actual usage including at least a torque measurement. The method further includes a step of adjusting a life of the tail rotor drive shaft based upon the measuring of the actual usage. Another method of the present disclosure includes determining a main rotor mast torque by measuring a tail rotor drive shaft torque and deriving a main rotor mast torque by considering the measured tail rotor drive shaft torque and a total torque output of an engine. A system of the present disclosure is configured for determining the main rotor mast torque in part by measuring the tail rotor torque.

Growing community of inventors

Richardson, TX, United States of America

Walter West Riley