PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Explain lead-lag in a rigid rotor to me?
View Single Post
Old 4th Feb 2007, 07:09
  #16 (permalink)  
RVDT
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: After all, what’s more important than proving to someone on the internet that they’re wrong? - Manson
Posts: 1,849
Received 56 Likes on 37 Posts
Graviman,

Lead lag dampers. As you can see there is no rotorhead on this aircraft. All the elements are in the blade.

It is fully articulated, nearly bearingless, and has a very large flapping hinge offset which gives you plenty of control power.

Inside the inboard cuff section, there are 4 beams which are composite (fibre glass) and integral with the blade. The fibre elements of these beams run from the tip of the blade to the root fitting and back to the tip again. Now, within the cuff section the beams shape changes to give you the equivalent function where bearings were once used. Inboard there is a flapping section because thats were it will due to the shape at that point of the beam, then there is a section which is soft in the torsion (twisting) plane, and finally near the outer section of the cuff there is a lead lag section, although these last functions probably overlap to a large extent. Please note the cuff itself serves none of these functions, it is there to provide pitch control and also provides a mechanical connection to allow lead lag damping.


This is from an "experimental" 5 blade EC145 and is very similar to the 135. Where it points to lead lag hinge it is refering to the flexelement within the cuff not the cuff itself.

When I say "nearly" bearingless, there is a support between the two dampers which provides a pivot point for pitch control and damping which has a small spherical bearing in it.

The arrangement on the Bell 430 is not much different to this.
RVDT is offline