Lead lag damper for helicopter rotor unit

US9114875B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• AIRBUS HELICOPTERS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH · DE

Inventors

• Bernard Enenkl · Zetel, DE
• Rupert Pfaller · Riemerling, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 31, 2012
• Grant date: Aug 25, 2015
• Expiry date: Nov 17, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B64C27/51
• WIPO field: Transport
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A lead lag damper (10, 11) for a helicopter rotor unit has a rotor and a hub (8), said rotor having N rotor modes, with N being the number of blades. This centered single lead lag damper (10, 11) for the entire rotor unit has an essentially cylindrical shape, with an elastomer material shear element between a first side (7) and a second side (9) having a homogenous resistance to shear deformation and being axially preloaded, so that the lead lag damper (10, 11) acts in a homogenous manner in the rotor inplane eigenmodes. Thus, the lead lag damper (10, 11) acts as a single unit on the critical inplane mode of the rotor, which is having N identical blades (1-4). The elastomeric material is loaded by a uniform shear deformation in contrary to the commonly used oscillatory deformation.