Blade rotary assembly with aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler for a shrouded propulsion rotary assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9453516-B2
Application number	US-201414248509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2014
Priority date	Apr 29, 2013
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

An inside vessel arrangement ( 5 ) is fixedly secured in a stator hollow structure ( 8 ) and has at least one enlarged static circumference housing ( 20 ), and an aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler ( 18 ) has an outer external surface ( 35 ) complementary to the static circumference housing ( 20 ). The aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler ( 18 ) radially secured to each of outer tips ( 23 ) of rotor blades ( 10 ) of a driven rotor system ( 7 ). A torus air gap (G) is provided, so that an outer laminar flux ( 56 ) is admitted simultaneously with an inlet inner stream ( 54 ) and guided through the torus air gap (G), with the inlet main stream and outer laminar flux being converged to merge together in single outlet control airflow (C). The invention typically applies e.g. to vehicles (A) such as aircrafts like rotary wing aircrafts.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A propulsion rotor assembly for a vehicle, the propulsion rotor assembly being motorized or mechanically driven through a motion source; the propulsion rotor assembly having at least: a driven rotor system to be rotated longitudinally around a rotary axis parallel to a length dimension of the propulsion rotor assembly and a stator hollow structure housing the driven rotor system; the stator hollow structure having a central hub and a hollow duct defining an inside vessel surface; the inside vessel surface being extending along the longitudinal rotary axis between two longitudinally opposed transverse distal openings; the driven rotor system being functionally mounted in the inside vessel surface, pivotal on the central hub and having a plurality of rotor blades; the rotor blades being motorized/mechanically driven by the motion source, so that the rotor blades are rotated around the rotary axis, when a controlled airflow is required; the rotor blades have an inner shank radially opposed to an outer tip, with the inner shank being mounted on the central hub, while the rotor blades are locally separated from neighboring blades by an angular air spacing; characterized in that the propulsion rotor assembly includes:
an inside vessel arrangement fixedly secured in the stator hollow structure in at least one of the transverse distal openings, the inside vessel arrangement having an enlarged static circumference housing opened towards the outside of the stator hollow structure; and
an aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler in a shape of a profiled airfoil type; the aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler being shaped with an outer external surface complementary to the static circumference housing, but smaller than the static circumference housing; the aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler being pivotally linked and radially secured to each outer tip of the rotor blades, so that the outer toroid spoiler is: longitudinally upright with a distal opening of the circumference enlarged housing(s), radially remote from the circumference enlarged housing(s) with the outer external surface facing a corresponding static circumference housing and distanced from the corresponding static circumference housing by a torus air gap; so that an outer laminar flux is admitted simultaneously with/in parallel to an inlet inner stream and guided through the torus air gap between the circumference enlarged housing and the aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler towards the transverse distal opening longitudinally opposed to the circumference enlarged housing, and the inlet main stream and outer laminar flux are converged to merge together in a single outlet control airflow.

2. A propulsion rotor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler is mechanically linked to the outer tips of the rotor blades forming a continuous circular ring, and the aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler having a front portion leading edge and a rear portion trailing edge, the rear portion trailing edge defining a converging angle comprised between: 5 and 30 degrees.

3. A propulsion rotor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler is having a front portion leading edge and a rear portion trailing edge, the rear portion trailing edge defining a converging area at a converging location in the stator hollow structure longitudinally closer to the opposed distal opening of the stator hollow structure, than to the distal opening of the circumference enlarged housing.

4. A propulsion rotor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler is having a front portion leading edge located longitudinally backwards of a backwards decay comprised between 1 mm to 50 mm.

5. A propulsion rotor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler is having a front portion leading edge and a rear portion trailing edge outwardly joined by the outer external surface, and an inside cylindrical surface joining the front portion leading edge and the rear portion trailing edge.

6. A propulsion rotor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler is having a outer external surface joining a front portion leading edge and a rear portion trailing edge outwardly, the outer external surface being cone shaped and having a rectilinear outer profile oriented relative the rotary axis, by an acute stream-flux ducted angle comprised between: 0.1 and 30 degrees.

7. A propulsion rotor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler is having a front portion leading edge and a rear portion trailing edge and an inside cylindrical surface joining the front portion leading edge and the rear portion trailing edge, the inside cylindrical surface being radially flush with a rear portion of the inside vessel arrangement and radially separated from the front portion of the inside vessel arrangement by the torus air gap.

8. A propulsion rotor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler is having a front portion leading edge and a rear portion trailing edge and an inside cylindrical surface joining the front portion leading edge and the rear portion trailing edge, the inside cylindrical surface being flush with and parallel to a rear portion of the inside vessel arrangement.

9. A propulsion rotor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler is having a front portion leading edge and a rear portion trailing edge and an inside cylindrical surface joining the front portion leading edge and the rear portion trailing edge, the inside cylindrical surface and a rear portion of the inside vessel arrangement being oriented relative to the longitudinal rotary axis by an inside expansion angle comprised between: 0 and 10 degrees.

10. A propulsion rotor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler is having a front portion leading edge and a front transverse distal opening together with the static circumference housing defining a inlet mouth for the torus air gap, the inlet mouth having an outer convex surface of a rounded shape and an inner convex surface of a rounded shape, radially facing one another.

11. A propulsion rotor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the aerodynamic outer toroid spoiler is having chord line of a longitudinal dimension chosen, respective to a longitudinal overall dimension of the inside arrangement vessel, comprised between: ⅓ and ½.

12. A propulsion rotor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the torus air gap is having a longitudinal dimension chosen, respective to a longitudinal overall dimension of the inside arrangement vessel, comprised between: ½ and ¾.

13. A propulsion rotor assembly of claim 1 , wherein each rotor blade have an outer tip section fixed to a rotatable connecting disk and extended into a movable dry-disk fixation point which inserted into a bearing means of the inside vessel arrangement, the outer tip section having a V-shaped ending defining a separation hollow zone, for guidance of the air flow and reducing air turbulences in the inside vessel arrangement.

14. A method for producing a controlled airflow from a propulsion rotor assembly for a vehicle; the propulsion rotor assembly being motorized or mechanically driven through a motion source; the propulsion rotor assembly having at least: a driven rotor system to be rotated longitudinally around a rotary axis parallel to a length dimension of the propulsion rotor assembly and a stator hollow structure housing the driven rotor system; the stator hollow structure having a central hub and a hollow duct defining an inside vessel surface; the inside vessel surface being extending along the longitudinal rotary axis betwee

Assignees

• Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH

Inventors

• Kreitmair-Steck Wolfgang

Classifications

• B64C11/001 Primary

  Shrouded propellers · CPC title

• B64C2027/8254

  Shrouded tail rotors, e.g. "Fenestron" fans · CPC title

• F04D29/326 Primary

  comprising a rotating shroud · CPC title

• B64C27/82

  characterised by the provision of an auxiliary rotor or fluid-jet device for counter-balancing lifting rotor torque or changing direction of rotorcraft · CPC title

• B64C27/20 Primary

  Rotorcraft characterised by having shrouded rotors, e.g. flying platforms · CPC title