Textron Innovations Inc.

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Bell Textron Inc.

Zachary Edwin Dailey

Dalton T Hampton

Frank B Stamps

Andrew Paul Haldeman

Aaron Alexander Acee

Russell S Cole

John R McCullough

Mark Adam Wiinikka

Thomas Mast

Thomas Parham

Timothy Kent Ledbetter

William Russell Cleary, Jr

Robert L Milliken

Michael Raymond Hull

Chad Lewis Jarrett

Martin Peryea

Yue Fan

Bradley Paul Regnier

Brian John Cox

Charles Owen Black

An aircraft includes a fuselage airframe and a wing airframe that is subject to flight loads. The fuselage airframe includes fore/aft floor beams having a plurality of floor intercostals laterally extending therebetween and fore/aft roof beams with a plurality of roof intercostals laterally extending therebetween. Each of a plurality of cabin frames extends generally vertically between respective floor and roof beams. The wing airframe includes forward and aft wing spars with a plurality of wing ribs extending therebetween. At least one fuel tank, that is configured to contain a pressurized fuel such as pressurized hydrogen fuel, integrally forms at least a portion of one of the beams, the intercostals, the frames, the spars and/or the ribs such that the fuel tank is subject to the flight loads.

Aircraft airframes having integral fuel tanks

A battery system includes a plurality of battery modules each formed from a plurality of battery cells. A shared cooling structure is thermally coupled to each of the battery modules. The shared cooling structure is configured to conduct heat relative to the battery modules. A thermal interface is disposed between the battery cells of each battery module and the shared cooling structure. Each thermal interface is configured to transition from a first thermal conductivity state to a second thermal conductivity state when heat generated by the respective battery cells exceeds a threshold level. The second thermal conductivity state is lower than the first thermal conductivity state such that after one of the thermal interfaces has transitioned from the first thermal conductivity state to the second thermal conductivity state, heat transfer from the respective battery cells to the shared cooling structure is reduced.

Aircraft battery systems having heat activated thermal barriers

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

An example of a hub for a tail rotor includes a body configured to couple to a mast of a rotor system, a trunnion disposed within the body, first and second shafts disposed on opposite sides of the trunnion, first and second end plates secured to the body, and first and second end bearings, the first end bearing disposed between the first shaft and the first end plate and the second end bearing disposed between the second shaft and the second end plate.

Bearing for axial stiffening

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

A transmission tilt control device includes a transmission rotatably coupled to an airframe of a helicopter, a rotor mast coupled to the transmission, and an actuator coupled between the transmission and the airframe. The actuator being configured to rotate the transmission fore and aft about a tilt axis that is perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the rotor mast.

Transmission mount

An exemplary rotorcraft includes a power train with an engine coupled to a gearbox, a main rotor blade having a mast coupled to the power train, a control input linkage in communication between a pilot input device and the main rotor blade configured to communicate a control input force from the pilot input device to the main rotor blade, and a counterweight system in connection with the control input linkage and the power train to apply a centrifugal force to the control input linkage.

Active counterweight for main rotor

A standpipe assembly for a rotorcraft includes a slip ring positioned within the mast of the rotorcraft. The slip ring includes a stator rotationally connected to a rotor. A flexible coupling is connected to the stator and a standpipe tube is connected to the flexible coupling. The flexible coupling is capable of angular, axial, and torsional displacement.

Flexible coupling for standpipe assembly

A rotorcraft has a low density altitude flight mode and a high density altitude flight mode. The rotorcraft includes a turboshaft engine forming a gas path in sequence through an air inlet section, a compressor section, a combustor section, a turbine section and an exhaust section. A drive system is coupled to the engine and is operable responsive to rotation of at least a portion of the turbine section. A rotor is coupled to the drive system and is operable to receive torque and rotational energy therefrom. A fuel injection system supplies fuel to the combustor section. An oxidizer injection system and a coolant injection system are used to selectively inject an oxidizer and a coolant into the gas path when it is desired to operate the rotorcraft in the high density altitude flight mode, thereby increasing the altitude density ceiling of the rotorcraft for maneuvers including takeoffs and landings.

Rotorcraft having increased altitude density ceiling

One example of an engine mounted inlet plenum for a rotorcraft includes an inlet flange, an outlet flange and a plenum duct that connects the inlet flange and the outlet flange. The inlet flange, which defines an inlet to flow air into a barrier filtration system, is configured to be substantially aligned with a closed cowl door assembly of the rotorcraft. In some implementations, the plenum duct is configured to extend to an outer mold line (OML) of the rotorcraft such that the inlet flange is aligned with the OML. The outlet flange defines an outlet to flow air filtered by the barrier filtration system into an engine of the rotorcraft. The plenum duct allows air to flow from the inlet to the outlet.

Engine mounted inlet plenum for a rotorcraft

An inlet system for a rotorcraft includes a cowl door assembly and a plenum assembly. The cowl door assembly includes a door member, a cowl inlet opening, and a cowl inlet duct. The plenum assembly is configured to free float in relation to the cowl door. The plenum assembly includes a plenum duct with a plenum band configured to attach the plenum assembly to an inlet opening. An aft seal is located between the aft plenum flange and a firewall, the aft seal being configured to provide a compressive contact between the plenum assembly and the firewall.

Growing community of inventors

Grapevine, TX, United States of America

Zachary Edwin Dailey