3.

ROTOR HUB AND BLADES

HUB/BLADE REQUIREMENTS
1. ENABLE BLADE GEOMETRIC PITCH TO CHANGE AS A FUNCTION OF AZIMUTH (FEATHERING)

2. ACCOMDATE CHANGES IN BLADE LIFT AND DRAG PRODUCED BY CHANGING BLADE GEOMETRIC PITCH WHICH CAUSES BLADE FLAPPING AND LEAD-LAG MOTION

RIGID BLADE MOTION FEATHERING

Feathering: Blade Rotation

About Axis Perpendicular to Mast
Steady Feathering=Collective Pitch < 15 degrees 1/Rev Feathering=Cyclic Pitch +/- 15 degrees

RIGID BLADE MOTION FLAPPING

Flapping: Blade Motion Parallel to Mast

Steady State Flapping= Coning ~3-8 degrees Tilt of Tip Path Plane=1/Rev Flapping +/- 15 degrees

RIGID BLADE MOTION LEAD-LAG

Lead-Lag: Blade Motion in a Plane Perpendicular to Mast

1/Rev Lead Lag +/- 1 degree Can combine with fuselage motion to Produce Ground Resonance

METHOD OF ACCOMODATING OUT/PLANE OSCILLATORY LOADS

OFFSET FLAPPING HINGE

CF e

Key Parameter
0<e/R<0.18 e

CF

CF ~20 * Blade Lift

METHOD OF ACCOMODATING OUT/PLANE OSCILLATORY LOADS

FLAPPING FLEXURE

CF

CF

DISCRETE HINGE
Advantages:

Simplicity
Large Range of Motion

Disadvantages:
High maintenance Large volume High Contact Stresses Weight

ELASTIC DEFORMATION
Advantages: Reduced Parts Count Lower Maintenance Reduced Weight Ideal use of composites Disadvantages: Fatigue Damage Limited Range of Motion Design Complexity Manufacturing Complexity

METHODS OF ACCOMODATING IN PLANE OSCILLATORY LOAD

OFFSET LEAD LAG HINGE

Lead Lag Damper To Prevent Ground Resonance

CF

n / 3e/(2(R - e))

0 .5

0.3

METHODS OF ACCOMODATING IN PLANE OSCILLATORY LOAD

Elastic Flexure

Lead Lag Damper To Prevent Ground Resonance CF

n / 0.7

EVOLUTION OF LEAD LAG DAMPERS

HYDRAULIC
High Maintenance Messy

ELASTOMERIC
Spring and Damping Effect Subject to Temperature Effects

METHODS OF FEATHERING BLADE

FEATHERING BEARINGS
BALL BEARING HIGH CONTACT STRESSES

SMALL AMPLITUDES OF MOTION

ELASTOMERIC TEMPERATURE SENSITIVITY TENSION TORSION STRAP ELASTIC TWISTING OF FLEXURE

FEATHERING BEARING

MAST

Very High Contact Stresses

CF

CF

CF

Feathering +/- 15 degrees

Very Small Ball Rotation

TENSION TORSION STRAP

TENSION TORSION STRAP

ELASTOMERIC FEATHERING BEARING

Fixed to Mast

Flapping Lead Lag Motion

Torsion Motion

Feathers With Blade

HINGELESS/BEARINGLESS ROTOR

EVOLUTION OF BEARINGS
METAL ROLLER BEARINGS
High Contact Stresses Limited Ball Motion Pitting Dirt

Elastomeric
Low maintenance Ideally suited for small motions

HUB CONFIGURATION
TEETERING ROTOR
Flapping Axis Pitch Horn Feathering

Axis

Center of Rotation Flapping Axis

Blade Tension Torsion Strap

Note: All 2 Bladed Teetering Rotors are Stiff in Plane

BLADE PITCH

Flapping Hinge

Tension Torsion Strap

Pitch Link

MODEL 47 STAB BAR

Robinson R-22
Flapping Hinge CF=0 Coning Hinge CF>>0

1 Centrally Located Flapping Hinge 2 Offset Coning Hinges

MULTIBLADED
FULLY ARTICULATED
Offset Flapping

Hinge

Pitch arm

Blade

Lag Hinge Center of Rotation

Feathering

Damper

Axis

Damper may be required to preclude Ground Resonance

KAMAN CONTROL TAB ROTOR

No Mechanical Constraints on Rigid Blade Feathering

Feathering Axis
Control Tab Hinge Line

Control Tab Motion via Speedometer Cable Passing From Root to Tab

FULLY ARTICULATED ROTOR

Lead-Lag Axis Flapping Axis

HINGELESS BEARINGLESS HUB

Lead Lag Axis Flapping Axis

Feathering Axis

Flapping, Feathering, Lead-Lag via Elastic Deformation of Flexure

Mi-17-1
Pendulum tuned to 4/Rev or 6/Rev to Reduce 5/Rev Fuselage Vibrations

4 BLADED HINGELESS ROTOR

WITH ELASTOMERIC DAMPER

ELASTOMERIC LEAD LAG DAMPER

COMPOSITE HUB

MAIN ROTOR BLADE

MR BLADE CONSTRUCTION

METAL BLADE

MR EXPANDABLE BLADE PINS

ROTOR PARAMETERS
Blades Number: 2 to 8 Tip speed: 650 820 ft/sec Radius: 12 ft- 50 Feet Plan Form: Straight , tapered Twist: 8 15 degrees Linear/Nonlinear Airfoil Distribution Tip Shape: Noise Construction: Wood, Metal, Composite Protection: Sand, Ice Lighting Radial Distributions: Mass, Stiffness

HUB PARAMETERS
Lead-lag Degree of Freedom Flapping Degree of Freedom Source of Damping Hydraulic Elastomeric Aeroelastic

Blade Feathering Radial Sequence of Hinges

ROTOR BRAKE

FREEWHEELING UNIT

Allows Rotor to Continue Turning After Loss of Engine Power

OTHER ROTOR TYPES

TAIL ROTORS
General Requirements

NO CYCLIC PITCH (ONLY COLLECTIVE CONTROLLED BY PEDALS)

MAY BE CANTED FOR HANDLING QUALITIES

TAIL ROTORS
LIGHT BLADE

EMPLOY NEGATIVE DELTA-3

HIGH G FIELD ~3500 gs AT TIP

NON INTEGER PER/REV GEAR RATIO TO MAIN ROTOR

MINIMIZE CHORD (TENNIS RACKET MOMENT) DISTANCE FROM TAIL BOOM

Arospatiale SA 342 Gazelle

PAINT SCHEME FOR SAFETY

APACHE SCISSOR TAIL ROTOR

2 stacked 2 bladed rotors

UH-60 TAIL ROTOR

TAIL ROTOR DESIGN CHALLENGES

LOCATION (High or Low) LOCATION (Which Side of Fin) (Pusher or Tractor) DIRECTION OF ROTATION (Up and Forward or Up and Aft) TWISTED OR UNTWISTED FATIQUE CYCLE COUNT 2/Rev at 1750 RPM= 200,000 cycles/hour HIGH 2/Rev IN-PLANE CHORD LOADS DUE TO CORIOLIS FORCES PRODUCED BY 1/Rev FLAPPING

TAIL ROTOR DESIGN CHALLENGES

FLAPPING CLEARANCE Mast length + or Pitch Flap Coupling AERODYNAMICS ENVIRONMENT Engine Exhaust Main Rotor Downwash Fin Interference

SAFETY/WEIGHT/CG EFFECTS/PERFORMANCE

LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR EFFECTIVENESS

TILT ROTORS
CONTROL MIXING

Helicopter Mode
Airplane Mode Transition INNER-CONNECTION STABILITY Ground Resonance Wing/Rotor/Pylon in Forward Flight

Matched InPlane/OutPlane Stiffness

DOWNWASH FOLDING VARIABLE RPM??? DIAMETER???

0.15 MACH SCALE ROTOR HUB

Aerodynamics and Dynamics Can be scaled Friction and Damping very difficult to scale

ROTOR SYSTEM DESCRIPTORS

1. Number of Blades
A. 2 Bladed B. Multibladed >2 Equally Spaced

2. Attachment of Rigid Blade to Mast

A. Teetering 2 Blades Bld#1 Up Bld#2 Down B. Gimballed 3 or more blades
Bld #1 Up 1ft Bld#2 Down 0.866 ft Bld#3 Down 0.866 ft Bld #1 0 Bld#2 Up 0.5 ft Bld#3 Down 0.5 ft

C. Articulated/Hingeless/ Bearingless 3 or more blades

All blades are Independent
Articulated == Mechanical Hinge Hingeless/Bearingless== Elastically Deformable

ROTOR SYSTEM DESCRIPTORS

3. Stiff or Soft in Plane Multibladed Rotors

A. Stiff: 1st InPlane Nat. Freq> Operating RPM B. Soft: 1st InPlane Nat. Freq< Operating RPM
May be subject to Ground Resonance

NOTE
All 2 bladed rotor systems are Teetering and Stiff in plane All Multibladed helicopters are: Soft in Plane and: Articulated, Hingeless, or Bearingless All Tilt Rotor systems are: Stiff in Plane and Ginballed