ROTOR SYSTEM

CONTENTS
1 2 INTRODUCTION TYPES OF ROTOR
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2. Articulated Rotor Gimbled Rotor Teetering Rotor Hingeless Rotor !earingless Rotor 1

1 1 2 2 2 3

3 4

ROTOR CONTROL BLADE RETENTION

4.1 4.2 4.3 4.3.1 4.3.2 Articulated Rotor Hingeless Rotor !earingless Rotor !earingless Main Rotor !earingless Tail Rotor

3 3 4

ROTOR COMPONENTS
.1 .2 .2.1 .2.2 .2.3 .2.4 .2. .3 .4 Rolling Element !earings Elastomeric !earings #onical !earing Radial !earing Snubber !earing S%&erical !earing T&rust !earing 'ead('ag )am%er Te*lon 'ined !earing

" " " " $ $ $ $ $ + #O,TE,TS -A,(2..1 /AGE 1

ROTOR SYSTEM

ROTOR CONTROL SYSTEM

".1 ".2 ".3 ".4 Main Rotor 1%%er #ontrol S2stem Main Rotor #ontrol Mec&anism Tail Rotor #ontrol Mec&anism Materials

0 0 0 1. 11 11 12 12 12 13 13 13 14 14 1 1" 1$ TO 1

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF ROTOR BLADES

$.1 $.2 $.3 $.4 $.4.1 $.4.2 $.4.3 Articulated !lades Hingeless !lades !lades *or !earingless Rotor Structures o* Rotor !lades Metal Rotor !lades #om%osite Main Rotor !lades #om%osite Tail Rotor !lade

BLADE FOLDING
+.1 +.2 Manual !lade 3olding Automatic !lade 3olding

FIGURE 1 TO 36

#O,TE,TS -A,(2..1 PAGE 2

ROTOR SYSTEM

ROTOR SYSTEM DESIGN

Dr. K. M !"#! $% U&#' D('#$) G(!(r * M ! +(r ,D(-.+!/ R0$ r) 1.!+ R(-( r2% 3 D(-.+! C(!$r( 4.!&#-$ ! A(r0! #$.2- L.5.$(& B !+ *0r( 6 567717 INTRODUCTION A conventional rotorcraft is provided with main and tail rotors. The main rotor produces thrust, the vertical components of which lifts the helicopter and the horizontal component causes lateral movement of the helicopter. The tail rotor thrust is required to counter the reaction torque of the main rotor. By chan in the tail rotor thrust, the helicopter can !e yawed a!out the main rotor a"is. The other three types of rotors are contra#rotatin , tandem and side !y side. $n contra#rotatin system, two identical rotors rotatin in opposite directions are placed one a!ove the other alon the same a"is. $n tandem arran ement, two main rotors are placed one !ehind the other. $n side !y side arran ement, the two rotors are positioned alon the lateral a"is. These three confi urations do not need tail rotors. A rotor system consists of rotor hu!, rotor !lades and upper control system. These systems are e"plained in the su!sequent chapters. 2 TYPES OF ROTOR %otor system can !e descri!ed as articulated, im!led, teeterin , hin eless and !earin less. The !lades of an articulated rotor system are attached to the hu! with mechanical hin es, allowin the !lade to flap up and down and swin !ac& and forth 'lead and la ( in the plane of the rotor disc. The !lades of the hin eless rotor are attached to the hu! without mechanical hin es for flap or lead#la motion. Bearin less rotor employs a fle"i!le structural attachment of the !lade. $n a teeterin rotor, the two opposite !lades are connected to ether ri idly and hin ed at the rotor centre. $n a im!led rotor, each !lade is attached to a yo&e which is im!le mounted to the rotor mast. 2.1 Articulated Rotor )ertical motion of the pitch lin& in response to swash plate tilt produces pitchin rotation at the pitch !earin correspondin to cyclic pitch of the rotor. The la hin e allows the !lade to move in the disc plane. *ue to this hin e, the steady la !endin moment at the !lade root is reduced. $ndividual !lade la dampers are required to provide ener y dissipation to control the mechanical insta!ility associated with coupled rotor#airframe system. The ri id !ody la natural frequency of this rotor !lade is usually +.2 to +., times the rotor speed. ROTOR SYSTEM

CHAPTER 1 JAN 1 PA!E 1

Blade flappin freedom is provided !y the horizontal flappin hin e located close to the rotor hu! to minimise the flap !endin of the rotor hu!. The natural frequency of articulated !lade is near resonance with rotor shaft speed. Aerodynamic dampin of the flappin !lade provides an accepta!le desi n. The rotor should !e desi ned such that as the !lade flaps up, the pitch an le of the !lade remain the same or reduce. The &inematic couplin ratio !etween pitch an le and flap an le is defined as delta - . .e ative delta - is required to improve sta!ility of the rotor. General arran ement of an articulated rotor is flap hin e first and ne"t la hin e and featherin !earin s. Articulated rotors are used in Alouette#$$$, /#01, 2i#3, 4amov#25. 6i ure#7 shows the arran ement of this rotor. 2.2 !i"#led Rotor The !lade root moments are reacted at the yo&e, leavin the hu! undistur!ed. 8o&e should !e stiff to achieve !lade cantilever mode frequency reater than the rotor speed. General arran ement is iven in fi ure#2. 2.$ Teeteri%& Rotor The teeterin hin e allows only seesaw flap motion of the !lades. 6or rotor tilt, the !lades are forced !y the trunion out of their ideal position !y special mechanisms connected to swash plate. E"amples for teeterin rotor are Bell#2+1,272 9 222. General arran ement of this rotor is shown in fi ure#-. 2.' Hi%&ele(( Rotor $n this type of rotor, no mechanical means are provided to allow chordwise or flapwise displacement of the !lades. The !lades are cantilevered from the rotor hu! which is attached ri idly to rotor shaft. The pitch an le of the !lade is chan ed !y rotation of the !lade a!out the featherin a"is. :yclic pitch input provides control moment as result of !oth tiltin of the resultant lift vector and a moment actin at the hu!. The natural frequency of the first flapwise !endin mode fi"es the offset of the equivalent flap hin e. This is enerally 7.7 to 7.75. This provides an equivalent flap hin e location of +.72%. The first lead#la !endin natural frequency is ad;usted to around +.0 of rotor speed to eliminate round resonance. This provides an equivalent lead#la hin e location of +.75%. Precone of the !lades permit cancellation of steady lift moment due to centrifu al force actin throu h the vertical displacement of the !lade a!ove disc plane. E"amples of hin eless rotor are found in B<#7+5, B4#770, =yn", /A#-15 *auphin, Bell # ,72 and A=>. CHAPTER 2 JAN 1 PA!E 2

ROTOR SYSTEM 2.) *eari%&le(( Rotor $n the !earin less rotor, there e"ist no mechanical hin es or featherin !earin s. The !lade retention mem!er is made fle"i!le to allow flappin , lead#la !endin and featherin of the !lade. E"amples for !earin less rotors are E:#7-5 and 2* E"plorer. $ ROTOR CONTRO+ $n#fli ht control of the helicopter usin moment actin upon the rotor hu! tiltin the rotor lift vector a com!ination of the two rotors e"plained in /ection#2 are provided !y

$n the articulated rotor, control moment is enerated as a result of lift vector tilt and hu! shear force actin at the flap hin e. $n im!led and teeterin rotors, rotor tilt produces correspondin tilt of the lift vector which produces control moment a!out helicopter :.G. $n case of hin eless and !earin less rotors, the structural sprin at the equivalent hin e provides an additional component of control moment at hu!. 6i ure#, shows control moment mechanisms in different rotors. The conventional method of achievin rotor control is throu h collective and cyclic pitch chan es at the !lade roots. These chan es are accomplished throu h control lin&a es !etween rotatin !lades and swash plate. :ollective pitch of the !lades is introduced !y raisin or lowerin the swash plate. :yclic pitch required to produce a tilt of the rotor disc plane is accomplished !y tiltin the swash plate. ' *+ADE RETENTION The rotor !lades are required to !e adequately connected to the rotor hu! to transfer the centrifu al force shear forces and moments. The connections should allow the intended !lade motions. Typical retention systems are !riefly descri!ed !elow. '.1 Articulated Rotor The flap, la and pitch hin es of the articulated rotors are oil or rease lu!ricated. The flap hin e is offset !oth radially and in the direction of rotation. The radial offset is as close to the rotor centre as the shaft and hin e sizes permit. The offset of flap hin e in the direction of rotation is called torque offset is chosen to equalise load on flap hin e !earin s and avoid reversin of a"ial motion due to !lade lead#la motion. The cylindrical roller !earin s are provided at flap and lead#la hin es. At !oth hin es, thrust !earin s or !ronze thrust washers are also provided. 6lap hin e !earin s withstand the centrifu al force, alternatin loads due to !lade la oscillations and !lade vertical shear forces and e"perience one#per#rev oscillations. /ide loads on flap hin e are carried !y thrust !earin s. ROTOR SYSTEM CHAPTER $ JAN 1 PA!E $

Blade flap oscillation is of the order ?5 de . The roller !earin s of the la hin e are su!;ected to centrifu al force plus reactions from !lade steady and alternatin !endin moments. )ertical shear loads at la hin e are carried !y the thrust washers. Blade la oscillation is of the order ?7 de . The roller !earin s of the featherin hin e react !lade !endin moments and shears at !lade root. Tension#torsion strap consistin of many layers of /t#steel sheet react centrifu al force. *ue to the low torsional stiffness, these strips twist easily, providin freedom for !lade pitch chan e with small efforts on pitch lin&. The pitch lin& connection on !lade is nearly alon the flap hin e a"is. Blade is attached to the out!oard end of the pitch sleeve throu h two !olts. The la damper connected across the lead#la hin e meets the requirement of sta!ility of la motion and functions as lead#la stop. Permanent stops prevent e"cessive !lade flap or droop in par&ed condition. They are preset not to come in contact in normal fli ht. 6i ure#5 shows the articulated rotor head of Alouette#$$$ '.2 Hi%&ele(( Rotor >in eless !lades are attached firmly to the hu! which in turn attached ri idly to the rotor mast. The !lade retention system must !e capa!le of transferrin a"ial force, shear forces and moments in !oth flapwise and lead#la directions. The !lade centrifu al force may !e reacted !y conventional tention# torsion strap or alternatively !y elastomeric !earin s. The retention must provide pitch chan e capa!ility and the centrifu al force must !e reacted across the featherin hin e. 6lap and lead#la movement of the !lade occurs due to structural deflection. The eometry of retention may also include sweep, precone or droop of the span wise a"is of the !lade. The la damper if required is connected across the fle"i!le re ion of !lade or !lade sleeve. 6i ure#1 shows the hin eless rotor head of @estland =yn". >ere, the !lade sleeve is made of titanium and its stiffness is tailored to achieve the required natural frequencies of the !lade. The sleeve contains featherin !earin s and TT !ar. 6i ure#0 shows B<#7+5 rotor system. $n this system, stiffness of lass fi!re composite !lade collar is tailored for required structural deformations. The titanium hu! carries featherin !earin s and TT !ar. >in eless rotor head of A=> is shown in fi ure#3. $n A=>, the rotor head and upper control system are inte rated with the main ear !o". The upper controls are enclosed within the drive shaft and titanium centre piece to which car!on composite hu! plates are connected. This concept is called inte rated dynamic system. Blade is retained over out!oard conical elastomeric !earin s and radial elastomeric !earin positioned at the centre piece. The collar of the composite !lade is tailored to achieve the required !lade structural deformations. Pitch chan e is accomplished !y twistin the conical and radial elastomeric !earin s which are soft in torsion. >in eless rotor head of /A#-15 *auphin is shown in fi ure#A. This concept is called starfle" due to star shaped lass composite rotor hu!. The fle"i!le star allows flapwise !endin deformation. The centrifu al force is transferred to the spherical !earin throu h composite

CHAPTER ' JAN 1 PA!E '

ROTOR SYSTEM

arms. =ead#la motion is accomplished !y the coc&in motion of the spherical !earin and inplane shear deformation of the elastomeric damper. Blade pitch is chan ed !y twistin the spherical !earin throu h pitch lin&. The damper does not offer resistance for pitch chan e since it is mounted on the star throu h a spherical !earin . '.$ *eari%&le(( Rotor '.$.1 *eari%&le(( Mai% Rotor >ere, the !lade is connected to the out!oard end of a fle"i!le !eam which can under o structural deformation in flapwise, lead#la and pitch directions. The fle"#!eam connected ri idly to the rotor hu! at the in!oard end transfers the centrifu al force, shears and !endin moments to the hu!. Pitch chan e of !lade is achieved !y twistin the fle"#!eam throu h a torsionally stiff pitch case which is attached to the fle"#!eam at out!oard end and connected to the pitch chan e lin&s at the in!oard end. To prevent lateral deflection of pitch case due to pitch lin& loads, a shear restraint is provided !etween the two. This can !e a mechanism or an elastomeric pad desi ned to offer only a small resistance to pitchin motion. =a dampin is achieved throu h a compact elastomeric damper mounted on the pitch case. *ampers su!;ected to shear deformation due to relative lead#la displacement !etween fle"#!eam and pitch case. /chematic layout of a !earin less rotor is shown in fi ure#7+. The concept is called !earin less since the featherin !earin s either metallic or elastomeric are also eliminated. The three elements of the !earin less rotor are enerally made of fi!re composites. $n E:#7-5, fle"!eam is inte rated with !lade spar and pitch case is inte rated with !lade shell, thus eliminatin the out!oard ;oint !etween the three elements. '.$.2 *eari%&le(( Tail Rotor Bearin less concept was developed first for the tail rotor. After successful use, the concept was further developed for main rotors. Typical !earin less tail rotor in operation is descri!ed !elow and shown in fi ures 77,72 and 7-. The !lade consists of lassBepo"y fle"#!eam and pitch case inte rated with the aerofoil re ion. Blades are made in opposite pairs so that hu! attachment need not resist centrifu al force. Two !lade pairs are placed perpendicular to each other and clamped to ether !y metal top and !ottom hu! plates 'fi ure 77( which are connected to the tail rotor shaft throu h splines. 6le"#!eam lu s are attached to the hu! plates throu h four !olts 'fi ure#72(. Pitch case and fle"#!eam are separated !y a pair of snu!!er !earin s located on fle"#!eam shoe and connected to pitch case throu h special !olts 'fi ure#7-(. /eatin on fle"#!eam is such that the !earin s can slide freely in centrifu al direction. Bolts ensure defined precompession of the !earin s durin assem!ly. The !earin pair reacts the pitch lin& load. ROTOR SYSTEM ) ROTOR COMPONENTS CHAPTER ' JAN 1 PA!E )

6eatures of specific components such as rollin element !earin s, !ushes, elastomeric !earin s and la dampers are reviewed in this section. ).1 Rolli%& Ele"e%t *eari%&( These !earin s are widely used in rotor hin es. They are classified as cylindrical roller !earin s tapered roller !earin s an ular contact !all !earin s =u!rication of the !earin is affected !y oil or rease. $nstallation details must !e desi ned to ta&e care of adequate lu!rication. /maller !earin s are also availa!le in rease filled and sealed condition. ).2 Ela(to"eric *eari%&( A !earin is a mechanical device that accommodates dynamic motions. Elastomeric !earin s allow rotational motion !ut are limited to oscillatory motion from 7+ de to A+ de . They offer some clear advanta es over hard metallic !earin s. Elastomer layers add a sprin !ac& effect, tendin to restore the an ular motion !ac& to undeflected position, actin li&e torsion sprin . Elastomeric !earin s have no clearance and hence there e"ist no frettin or wear. This results in smooth performance throu h out the life of the part. *e radation of elastomeric !earin is radual and fail#safe. They are maintenance free. They are unaffected !y air !orne particles of sand and dirt. <n#condition removal criteria helps avoid premature removal of adequately functionin parts. The elastomer inherently reduces vi!ration of the dynamic system.

Types of elastomeric !earin s widely used in rotor system and !riefly e"plained !elow. ).2.1 Co%ical *eari%& :onical !earin consists of alternate layers of conical shaped elastomer and metal shims !onded to ether !etween the two metal housin s. The housin s are connected to the load actin CHAPTER ) JAN 1 PA!E ,

ROTOR SYSTEM

and reactin mem!ers 'fi ure# 7,(. This is capa!le of carryin loads in a"ial and radial directions. /ince it is torsionally soft, it can !e twisted !y applyin moderate torque. ).2.2 Radial *eari%& This consists of concentric cylindrical shims of elastomer and metal !onded !etween inner and outer mem!ers. $t can ta&e only radial loads. $t is not intended to !e loaded in a"ial direction. %adial !earin is also soft in torsion a!out the lon itudinal a"is CC 'fi ure #75(. ).2.$ S%u##er *eari%& /nu!!er !earin pair is used to separate the pitch case and fle" !eam of a !earin less rotor. /nu!!er !earin is stiff in a"ial and radial directions !ut soft in coc&in motion 'fi ure#71(. $t consists of spherical elastomeric and metal shims. ).2.' S-.erical *eari%& This consists of elastomer and metal shims of spherical shape. $t can resist a"ial compression and radial loads and can under o coc&in deformation a!out the spherical centre. ).2.) T.ru(t *eari%& This consists of alternate flat shims of elastomer and metal. $t is desi ned to withstand a"ial thrust loads. :om!ination of conical !earin and radial !earin would form ideal retention for main rotor !lades. :onical !earin is positioned to carry all the centrifu al force in a"ial direction. %adial loads due to !lade !endin moments are reacted !y the two !earin s placed at appropriate distance. Elastomeric !earin s are desi ned to meet the specification requirements of stiffness, environmental conditions and life under spectrum loadin . 2odified natural ru!!er is enerally used as elastomer shims. 2etal shims are made of aluminium alloy, titanium or corrosion resistant steel. The shim pac&a e is !onded to metal housin s which have hole and location features required for the assem!ly. The loadin pattern on elastomeric !earin s should !e such that elastomer shims are not su!;ected to tensile strains. ).$ +ead/la& Da"-er The lead#la dampers are provided on the main rotor head to meet !lade sta!ility requirements in round resonance and in fli ht. They attenuate the dynamic motion in the rotor lead#la plane. This is enerally required on all types of rotors. There are a few hin eless rotor with hi h !lade structural dampin due to which e"ternal la dampin is formed not needed.

CHAPTER ) JAN 1 PA!E 0

ROTOR SYSTEM Three common means of ener y a!sorption in la dampers are hydraulic, friction and visco#elastic. Althou h simple, friction dampers are less relia!le. They are not used in present day helicopters. $n a hydraulic damper, the dampin fluid is forced to pass throu h the orifices due to relative movement !etween the ends. This action provides ener y dissipation and dynamic stiffness. /ome of the hydraulic dampers are of sealed construction and do not require frequent maintenance. 6i ure#70 shows a typical hydraulic damper. )isco#elastic dampers are desi ned to utilise the ood dampin characteristics of certain types of elastomers when su!;ected to shearin strains. >ere, elastomeric layers are sandwiched !etween metal plates. Thic&ness of layers are determined to operate with in the displacement and shearin strain limitations. $nner and outer plates are attached to the points !etween which the motion is required to !e damped. 6i ures#73 and 7A show typical elastomeric dampers. ).' Te1lo% +i%ed *eari%& Teflon lined spherical !earin s and !ushes are widely used in the control system of modern helicopters. The !ac&in material could !e aluminium alloy, corrosion resistant steel, titanium alloy or helically wound lassBepo"y composite. These mem!ers are suita!le for applications wherein oscillatory motions and hi h vi!ratory loads are encountered. Teflon !earin s with trade names such as fi!re lide and fi!reslip are proprietary self lu!ricatin !earin materials of woven teflon 'PT6E( fi!res applied to ri id !ac&in . To assure ood !ond !etween PT6E fi!res and !ac&in material, a secondary, more readily !onda!le fi!re is interwoven with PT6E fi!res so that teflon is predominantly presented on the !earin side of the fa!ric. These !ushes and !earin s are unique in their a!ility to resist teflon col#flow under e"treme hi h loads !ecause the fi!res have a tensile stren th appro"imately 75 times reater than strai ht PT6E material. Advanta es of teflon lined !earin s and !ushes are iven !elow. <peration without lu!rication while toleratin common lu!ricatin and other fluids. >i h lu!ricatin capa!ility =ow coefficient of friction 6reedom from stic&#slip A!sence of cold flow tendency >i h resistance to fati ue under shoc& loads Eliminates frettin corrosion >i h wear resistance $nherent dampin qualities @ide ran e of matin material accepta!ility Electrically non#conductin .on ma netic Typical teflon lined spherical !earin and !ush are shown in fi ure#2+

ROTOR SYSTEM Typical applications of the a!ove teflon lined parts are iven !elow. Bushes for !lade !olt retention Bushes of mi"in unit /pherical !earin of swash plate /pherical !earin s of control rods and pitch lin&s CHAPTER ) JAN 1 PA!E 3

, ROTOR CONTRO+ SYSTEM The main rotor requires collective and cyclic controls. 6or helicopter to manoeuvre in lon itudinal and lateral directions, cyclic controls are provided in these two channels. By operatin collective and cyclic stic&s, pilot actuates the three hydraulic !oosters to o!tain linear displacements in collective, lon itudinal and lateral cyclic channels. The upper control mechanism converts the a!ove inputs into collective and cyclic pitch variations of the !lades. /imilarly pedal control of the pilot actuates tail rotor hydraulic !ooster to produce a"ial movement which is converted into collective pitch variation of tail rotor !lades. 2ain and tail rotor control systems are !riefly e"plained !elow. 6i ures 27 and 22 show the schematic dia ram of typical main and tail rotor control systems. $sometric view of main rotor control system is shown in fi ure 2-. ,.1 Mai% Rotor U--er Co%trol S2(te" The upper control system transfers pilot operated displacements from actuators into collective and cyclic variation of !lade pitch an les. $n collective pitch, an les are increased or decreased equally on all the !lades. :ollective pitch varies ma nitude of helicopter lift. $n lon itudinal cyclic pitch, !lade an le in one !lade is increased or decreased at a particular azimuth position so that the aft !lade flaps up to provide forward tilt of tip plane. The forward component of the lift vector provides propulsive force. $n lateral cyclic pitch, !lade an le on one !lade is increased or decreased at a particular azimuth position to provide side!oard tilt of the rotor plane which results in side!oard propulsive force. ,.2 Mai% Rotor Co%trol Mec.a%i(" The components of upper control system are connectin rods, mi"in unit, non#rotatin control rods, swash plate assem!ly, swash plate mast, rotatin control rods, scissors and pitch horn. Their functions are e"plained !elow. The three connectin rods in collective and cyclic channels transfer control inputs from actuator to mi"in unit. 2i"in unit comprises of collective !ell cran&, lon itudinal !ell cran&

CHAPTER , JAN 1 PA!E 4

ROTOR SYSTEM

and lateral !ell cran&. =on itudinal lever assem!led on collective !ell cran& acts as hin e a"is for !oth lon itudinal and lateral !ell cran&s. .on#rotatin control rods connect lon itudinal !ell cran&, lon itudinal lever and lateral !ell cran& to non#rotatin swash plate at three points. /wash plate mast provides the vertical a"is for slidin motion of swash plate which depends upon collective input. 2i"in unit is also structurally supported on swashplate mast. /wash plate assem!ly consists of rotatin and non#rotatin plates separated !y a !all !earin . The spherical !earin at the centre allows up and down slidin motion on mast and tilt in all planes. %otatin control rods are attached !etween rotatin swash plate and !lade pitch chan e horn. %otatin scissors connect the rotor hu! to rotatin swash plate and impart rotary motion to the later. .on#rotatin scissors are provided !etween swash plate mast and non rotatin swash plate to prevent the later from rotation due to frictional torque. *ue to collective input, the collective !ell cran& rotates a!out its hin e, This causes the cyclic hin e to move up or down, drivin the non#rotatin control rods to move equally. :onsequently, swash plate moves up or down alon with rotatin control rods causin equal pitch chan e in all !lades. @hen lon itudinal input is iven, the lon itudinal !ell cran& rotates a!out cyclic hin e causin movement of non#rotatin lon itudinal control rods and swash plate tilt a!out lon itudinal a"is. /ince rotatin control rods follow swash plate plane, !lade pitch an le varies over the azimuth from ma"imum to minimum. *ue to lateral inputs, lateral !ell cran& rotates a!out cyclic hin e causin lateral non#rotatin control rod to move and the correspondin swash plate tilt a!out lateral a"is. Blade pitch an le would vary accordin ly over the azimuth. ,.$ Tail Rotor Co%trol Mec.a%i(" :ontrol of tail rotor thrust is provided !y collective variation of the !lade pitch an le. The control mechanism of tail rotor consists of the followin . Control tube: This is positioned inside hallow tail rotor shaft and is driven !y the shaft throu h spline connection. This can move a"ially with respect to the shaft. $n!oard end of the tu!e is connected to the actuator output throu h an an ular contact !all !earin which can carry a"ial loads. This !earin separates the rotatin tu!e from non#rotatin actuator output end and transfers the a"ial motion of the actuator.

ROTOR SYSTEM Spider: CHAPTER , JAN 1 PA!E 1

/pider is ri idly assem!led at the end of control tu!e. $t is provided with four arms correspondin to four !lades. Pitch link: Pitch lin& connects spider arm to pitch horn and transfer the a"ial motion of control tu!e to the pitch horn. 2ovement of pitch horn causes pitch chan e of the !lade. Pitch lin& is provided with turn!uc&le to ad;ust the len th for pre#settin the !lade an le. ,.' Material( Dpper control system components are dynamically loaded. They should have adequate stiffness to limit deformation under operatin loads. They must have hi h fati ue stren th and dama e tolerance features. The desi n life of the components under operatin spectrum loadin is of the order 5+++ hours. :omponents with smaller endurance life if any are to !e retired and replaced in service. Aluminium alloys are used for the parts which are su!;ected to moderate loads. 6or hi hly stressed parts such as control rods, pitch horn, shafts, control tu!e, titanium alloy is chosen due to its hi h specific stren th. :orrosion resistant steel is used for !olts, !earin s and !ushes. 2oly!denum di#sulphide coatin is applied over the interfaces of ;oints to prevent frettin wear. Teflon fa!ric lined !ushes and spherical !earin s are suita!le for ;oints under oin oscillatory relative movements. 0 DESI!N AND CONSTRUCTION OF ROTOR *+ADES 2ain rotor !lades produce thrust to !alance the inertia of the helicopter and the propulsive force for the translational motion. The tail rotor produces thrust to counter main rotor reaction torque and to produce yawin acceleration. The aerodynamic and dynamic desi n parameters of the !lade are the followin . %otational speed /ense of rotation, cloc&wise or anticloc&wise Aerofoil distri!ution over the span Twist distri!ution alon the span :hord Tip shape Precore or preflap an le 2ass per unit len th 6lapwise, lead#la and torsional stifnesses 6lap and la hin e offset

CHAPTER , JAN 1 PA!E 11

ROTOR SYSTEM

Placement of natural frequencies affect helicopter vi!ration and !lade loads. <n the !asis !lade fi"ity conditions, !lades are classified as articulated, hin eless and !earin less. 6eature of these !lades are !riefly e"plained !elow. 0.1 Articulated *lade( $n an articulated rotor, the !lade is free to articulate a!out flap and lead#la hin es. Pitchin of !lade a!out lon itudinal a"is is achieved over two featherin !earin s. The !lade is enerally of constant sectional properties over the len th. The root end of the !lade is tailored to match with the rotor sleeve.

0.2 Hi%&ele(( *lade( 6lap and lead la hin es are a!sent in a hin eless rotor. >owever the !lade is desi ned to pitch a!out featherin !earin s. $n modern hin eless rotors, metallic featherin !earin s are replaced !y elastomeric !earin s. $n hin eless !lade, the root end of the !lade 'appro"imately 2+E radius( is desi ned for lower flapwise and lead#la stiffnesses, with the result, flappin and lead#la articulation ta&es place due to elastic !endin of this fle"i!le re ion. Effective flap and lead#la hin e offsets are computed on !asis of deformed !lade shape. *ependin on the first !endin natural frequency in lead#la plane, the !lades are classified as soft#in#plane or stiff#in#plane. The first helicopter to use hin eless rotor with all composite !lade was B< 7+5. 0.$ *lade( 1or *eari%&le(( Rotor Blade of a !earin less rotor will have fle"#!eam, pitch case and aerofoil !lade. 6le"#!eam is made of unidirectional lass or car!onBepo"y composites. $ts cross section are tailored to achieve certain flapwise and lead#la stiffness distri!ution required to satisfy stren th and dynamic characteristics of the rotor. $n!oard end of the fle"!eam is attached to rotor head. <ut !oard end is inte rated with !lade !y mechanical attachment or !y mouldin into !lade spar. The pitch case is a closed cell made of fi!erBepo"y layers oriented to achieve ma"imum torsional stiffness. *ifferent types of !lades are shown in the followin fi ures. 6i 6i 6i 6i 6i 6i 6i 6i ure 2, ure 25 ure 21 ure 20 ure 23 ure 2A ure -+ ure -7 Articulated metal !lade Teeterin metal !lade Articulated composite !lade >in e less composite !lade >in e less metal !lade >in e less composite !lade >in e less composite !lade Bearin less main rotor !lade 'Aloutte#$$$( 'Bell G#,0( '4A#23( 'B<7+5( '=yn"( 'A=>( '*auphin( 'E: 7-5(

ROTOR SYSTEM CHAPTER 0 JAN 1 PA!E 12

0.' Structure( o1 Rotor *lade(

%otor !lades can !e !roadly classified as metallic and composite. 6i!re reinforced plastics '6%P( such as lass, car!on and &evlar#epo"y com!inations are !ein e"tensively used as structural materials in modern helicopter rotor !lades and hu!s. These materials offer several advanta es over conventional metallic materials. @ith re ard to mechanical properties, some of them are superior in terms of specific stren th and stiffness. :omposite materials are resistant to corrosion induced !y hot, humid and marine environments. The important !asic advanta e are their hi her fati ue stren th, ood dama e tolerance and soft failure modes. $f properly maintained, composite !lades are capa!le of operatin four to five times lon er than metal !lades. $t is realised !y e"perience that these !lades are much easier to repair than metal !lades. =ower radar si nature of fi!reBepo"y is of si nificance in military operations. 6urther, strin ent requirements such as aerodynamic contour smoothness, dimensional tolerance, incorporation of aerodynamically tailored, non uniform !lade eometry and twist etc. can !e achieved easily due to the moulda!ility of 6%P materials. Also these !lades can !e made individually interchan ea!le a plus point in reducin operatin costs. There are some pro!lem areas concernin the composite !lades. They need meticulous protection a ainst erosion, moisture a!sorption and de radation due to ultra violet rays. >owever, effective measures have !een found to overcome these limitations. /everal successful helicopters which were desi ned durin 7A5+#0+ used metal !lades. 2etal !lades require scheduled maintenance at short intervals. They are to !e retired after a!out 25++ hours, a relatively short service life in comparison to appro"imately 5+++#7++++ hours attaina!le !y composite !lade. 0.'.1 Metal Rotor *lade( 2ain structural elements of a metal !lade are spar and s&in contri!utin predominantly to !endin stiffness and torsional ri idity respectively. The spar could !e a machined aluminium alloy open section of semi#lunar shape or closed *#section. Titanium and stainless steel oval section tu!es are also used as spars. The aft portion of the s&in is sta!ilised !y machined honeycom! or ri id foam fillers. =eadin ed e of the !lade is protected a ainst sand and rain erosion !y a cap of stainless steel or titanium sheet. :omponents of the !lade are !onded to ether !y heat curin structural adhesives. The ma;or draw!ac&s of a metal !lade are the suscepti!ility to structural failures due to crac& propa ation and sensitivity to inadequate maintenance. All metal !lades can !e found in Allouette#$$$ with :#spar 'fi ure#2,(, Bell G# ,0 with *#spar 'fi ure#25( and /#01 with tu!ular spar. 0.'.2 Co"-o(ite Mai% Rotor *lade( :omposite rotor !lade cross#section consist of the followin details. :#shaped or *#shaped spar made of lassBepo"y or hy!rid composite which contri!utes to flapwise stiffness, lead#la stiffness and carries the centrifu al force.

ROTOR SYSTEM

:ar!onBepo"y or lassBepo"y s&in with fi!ers oriented at ,5 de to lon itudinal a"is which provides torsional stiffness. CHAPTER 0 JAN 1 PA!E 1$ %i id structural foam or honeycom! core which sta!ilise the s&in in the lateral direction. This is required to &eep the shape of the aerofoil. 2etallic leadin ed e erosion protection either in sin le piece or in multiple pieces. =ead !alancin mass at the leadin ed e for placin section centre of ravity close to +.25 :hord a"is.

:hannel which is !onded !etween upper and lower s&ins to provide shear ri idity in the plane of cross#section. B< 7+5, E: 7-5, and A=> !lades are e"amples for :#spar. 4A#23 !lade consists of composites *#spar and aft honeycom! sandwich poc&ets !onded to spar. :ar!onBepo"y or lassBepo"y unidirectional trailin ed e which increases lead#la stiffness. Anti node mass at +.5% to tune second flapwise frequency 'optional( Tipmass for tunin the lead#la frequencies 'optional( Balancin cham!er at tip for static and dynamic !alancin of !lades. 2etallic trim ta! at the trailin ed e for !lade trac& ad;ustment. Electrically heated anti#icin or de#icin mat at the leadin ed e if the helicopter is intended to operate in icin condition 'optional(.

0.'.$ Co"-o(ite Tail Rotor *lade *esi n principles for composite tail rotor !lade are similar to that followed for the main rotor !lade. Tail rotor !lades are smallar in size. /par is enerally :#shaped. They are not enerally provided with the !alancin cham!er. /tatic and dynamic !alancin is carried out !y addin wei hts on adapters provided at the rotor head. .ose !alance mass and mid chord channel are enerally not needed. Erosion protection is made in one piece. <n !i er helicopters, operatin in icin conditions, tail rotor !lades are also provided with anti#icin heater mats. 3 *+ADE FO+DIN! 6oldin of main rotor !lades is needed to reduce the par&in area. $t is of si nificance for .aval helicopters which have to stowed inside han ars. After foldin the !lades are secured to prevent flapwise and lead#la movements of the !lades. <n some helicopters, tail!oom is also folded a!out a hin e to

CHAPTER 0 JAN 1 PA!E 1'

ROTOR SYSTEM reduce the len th and hei ht in folded position. Blade foldin can !e achieved manually or automatically !y means of actuators. Blade foldin should !e possi!le in rou h sea states and hi h wind speeds up to ,5 &nots. Blades are folded and secured when the helicopter is on the landin dec&. /mall helicopters are moved into the ship han ar manually. $n case of a lar e helicopter, specially desi ned traversin cross !ar is en a ed with the main wheels and the traversin carria e is power operated alon the trac& fi"ed on the floor. The system thus pulls the helicopter to a predetermined position inside the han ar. 3.1 Ma%ual *lade Foldi%& To facilitate manual foldin , rotor !lade is attached to the hu! throu h two !olts. 6or foldin , one of the !olts per !lade is removed and !lade is moved to the folded position usin the second !olt as hin e. Blades are moved to the folded position !y round crew usin foldin poles, the upper end of which are desi ned to clamp the !lade. After foldin , the !lades are moored to the fusela e throu h suita!le moorin fi"ture. 6i ures -2, -- and -, show the foldin of !lades on :heta& /A -15and =yn" helicopters. 3.2 Auto"atic *lade Foldi%& Automatic !lade foldin systems are employed on lar e helicopters due to the followin reasons. Blade foldin and spreadin operations are quic& and effortless. There e"ists no ris&s to personnel or helicopter parts in hi h wind and sea state conditions. Additional wei ht involved will !e a small compared to the wei ht of the helicopter. *ue to the lar e width of rotor head, size of !olts and wei ht of !lades, manual foldin involoves too much efforts.

$n automatic !lade foldin system, rotor inde"in , !lade foldin and spreadin operations are carried out sequentially !y hydraulic or electro#mechanical actuators. Typically, @estland /ea#4in helicopter is equipped with hydraulically actuated automatic !lade foldin system and />#1+B /ea >aw& is provided with electro#mechanically actuated automatic !lade foldin system. >ydraulic fold system consists of hydraulic cylinder at each !lade arm. =inear output of the cylinder is converted to rotation of the rotor !lade a!out the foldin pin. Electro # mechanical !lade foldin system is much simpler and compact than the hydraulic system. This system employs a rotary output at the !lade fold pin.

ROTOR SYSTEM CHAPTER 3 JAN 1 PA!E 1)

6ully automatic !lade foldin system consists of the followin su!systems.

%otor inde"in actuator and sensors which position the rotor arms to predetermined position prior to foldin . Pitch loc& actuators which provides loc&in a ainst !lade pitchin . Blade foldin actuators, one per !lade which fold the !lades to the folded position. This actuator also contains mechanism to remove one !olt of the foldin ;oint. /ensors and micro switches to limit the rotation. 6oldin control unit positioned in the coc&pit which operates monitors foldin operations. and spreadin

/lip rin assem!ly at rotor head to supply power to the electro#mechanical foldin actuators and also to connect foldin control unit to the actuators. >ydraulic rotary couplin is needed in case of hydraulically actuated foldin system.

6i ure#-5 shows the rotor head of /ea#4in equipped with hydraulically operated automatic foldin system. Electro mechanically operated 4A#25 semi#automatic foldin system is shown in fi ure#-1. Automatic !lade foldin system are not adopted on li ht or medium size helicopters due to implications such as cost, wei ht and system comple"ities. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

CHAPTER 3 JAN 1 PA!E 1,