Shaft mounted rotor brake

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9267558-B2
Application number	US-201314065620-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2013
Priority date	Oct 29, 2013
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

A shaft mounted rotor brake ( 7 ) with at least one braking force absorption element non-rotatable connected to said shaft ( 1 ). A stationary brake actuator ( 8, 24 ) is mounted to a rotor gear box housing ( 4 ). Said stationary brake actuator ( 8, 24 ) actuates a braking force transmission element ( 17, 23 ) that is functionally coupled to the at least one braking force absorption element ( 2 ) so as to exert a braking effect. At least one rotor brake deactivation device ( 6, 9, 25 ) is provided. The at least one braking force absorption element comprises lamellas ( 2 ) interacting with stationary lamellas ( 3 ), said lamellas ( 2 ) and stationary lamellas ( 3 ) being arranged inside of the rotor gear box housing ( 4 ) with oil inside.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotor brake device for a helicopter having a main rotor, a gear box for rotatably driving a rotatable shaft of the main rotor, the gear box having a gear box housing with oil inside, the rotor brake device comprising:
at least one braking force absorption element mounted to said rotatable shaft;
a stationary brake actuator mounted to said gear box housing,
a braking force transmission element, said stationary brake actuator actuating said braking force transmission element that is functionally coupled to the at least one braking force absorption element, so as to exert a braking effect; and
at least one rotor brake deactivation device, wherein the at least one braking force absorption element comprises stationary lamellas and rotary lamellas interacting with the stationary lamellas, said rotary lamellas and stationary lamellas being arranged inside of the gear box housing with oil inside, wherein the rotor brake deactivation device is dependent on a pressure p of oil inside the gear box housing, the pressure being controlled by the rotor speed of the main rotor
wherein the brake deactivation device has a control piston in a control casing forming a control piston chamber, the control piston chamber connected to an oil supply line providing oil pressure; and
wherein the control casing of the brake deactivation device forms an oil pressure line having a non-return valve and a non-return spring, wherein the oil pressure line is controlled by a position of the control piston and the non-return valve.

2. The rotor brake device according to claim 1 , wherein the rotatable shaft is a drive shaft.

3. The rotor brake device according to claim 1 , wherein the rotatable shaft is an additional shaft coupled to a drive shaft of the gear box.

4. The rotor brake device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one rotor brake deactivation device comprises a ring shoulder, counter springs, centrifugal slides and a ring slide.

5. The rotor brake device of claim 1 wherein the control casing of the brake deactivation device forms an outlet, wherein the outlet is controlled by a position of the control piston.

6. The rotor brake device of claim 5 wherein the control piston has a first position blocking the oil pressure line, and a second position blocking the outlet.

7. A method for deactivating a rotor brake device for a helicopter; the helicopter having a main rotor, a gear box for rotatably driving a rotatable shaft of the main rotor; the gear box having a gear box housing with oil inside; the method comprising:
providing a rotor brake device having at least one braking force absorption element mounted to said rotatable shaft, a stationary brake actuator mounted to said gear box housing, a braking force transmission element, and at least one rotor brake deactivation device, wherein said stationary brake actuator actuates said braking force transmission element that is functionally coupled to the at least one braking force absorption element so as to exert a braking effect, wherein the braking force absorption element has stationary lamellas and rotary lamellas interacting with the stationary lamellas, the rotary lamellas and stationary lamellas being arranged inside of the gear box housing with oil inside;
controlling a pressure p of oil inside the gear box housing by the rotor speed of the main rotor, the rotor brake deactivation device of the rotor brake device being dependent on the pressure p; and
pressing conical centrifugal slides against a counter spring when a speed of the drive shaft is at a nominal rotational speed such that the conical centrifugal slides are located in an outer position distal to the drive shaft, the conical centrifugal slides being removed from a complementary conical ring slide such that the conical ring slide is made free to slide axially on the drive shaft and the drive shaft does not counter acting a brake force pressure exerted from the brake actuator via the rotary lamellas and stationary lamellas, wherein in case of an unintended actuation of the rotor brake device, the conical centrifugal slides cannot return to an inner position and the rotor brake device cannot engage at an abutment plate.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
pushing back the conical centrifugal slide towards the drive shaft by the counter spring into the inner position when the speed of the drive shaft is lower than a predetermined reduced speed value, such that if the rotor brake device is then actuated by the stationary brake actuator, the conical ring slide engages with the conical centrifugal slide, and the rotor brake deactivation device is rotor-speed controlled and allows engagement of the rotor brake device.

9. A helicopter having a main rotor, a gear box for rotatably driving a rotatable shaft of the main rotor; the gear box having a gear box housing with oil inside; the helicopter further having a rotor brake device comprising:
at least one braking force absorption element mounted to the rotatable shaft;
a stationary brake actuator mounted to the gear box housing,
a braking force transmission element, the stationary brake actuator actuating the braking force transmission element that is functionally coupled to the at least one braking force absorption element, so as to exert a braking effect; and
at least one rotor brake deactivation device,
wherein the braking force absorption element comprises stationary lamellas and rotary lamellas interacting with the stationary lamellas, said rotary lamellas and stationary lamellas being arranged inside of the gear box housing with oil inside; and
wherein the rotor brake deactivation device of the rotor brake device is dependent on a pressure p of oil inside the gear box housing, the pressure p of oil being controlled by a rotor speed of the main rotor; and
wherein the rotor brake deactivation device comprises a ring shoulder, counter springs, conical centrifugal slides radially movable relative to the drive shaft, and a conical ring slide axially movable on the drive shaft, wherein the ring shoulder, the counter springs, the conical centrifugal slides and the conical ring slide are concentrically arranged relative to the drive shaft, the conical centrifugal slides being adjacent to the conical ring slide with the conical centrifugal slides narrowing towards the drive shaft so as to be complementary to the conical ring slide widening towards the drive shaft, the conical ring slide being provided with an abutment plate towards the rotor brake device.

Assignees

• Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH

Inventors

• Doleschel Andreas
• Gusmini Roberto
• Lamarliere Sophie De

Classifications

• B64C27/12 Primary

  Rotor drives · CPC title

• F16D55/40

  actuated by a fluid-pressure device arranged in or one the brake · CPC title

• F16D55/36 Primary

  Brakes with a plurality of rotating discs all lying side by side · CPC title