Propeller for an aircraft turbomachine, including a blade retaining structure through which the aerodynamic part of each blade passes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9902501-B2
Application number	US-201514977049-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2015
Priority date	Dec 22, 2014
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

A propeller for a turbomachine intended to be driven in rotation about a propeller rotation axis and including variable pitch blades. The propeller further includes a structure for radial retention of the blades in the event of them breaking. The retaining structure extends around the propeller rotation axis and has the aerodynamic part of each blade of the propeller pass through it. Moreover, each aerodynamic part is equipped with an abutment configured to be retained radially by the retaining structure in the event of a blade fracture causing a fracture in the aerodynamic part radially inside the abutment.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A propeller for a turbomachine driven in rotation about a propeller rotation axis and including a plurality of variable pitch blades, each blade of the plurality of variable pitch blades comprising a root and an aerodynamic part, comprising:
a structure for radial retention of the variable pitch blades in the event that one of the variable pitch blades breaks,
said retaining structure extending around the propeller rotation axis and spaced from the roots of the variable pitch blades such that the aerodynamic part of each blade of the propeller passes through said retaining structure, and
each aerodynamic part equipped with an abutment, the retaining structure configured to retain the abutment in the event of a blade fracture causing a fracture in the aerodynamic part radially inside said abutment,
wherein a radial clearance between each of the abutments of the variable pitch blades and the retaining structure when the blade is not broken.

2. The propeller according to claim 1 , wherein the aerodynamic part of each blade is equipped with a connecting plate of circular shape, the axis of which coincides with a pitch axis of the blades, the retaining structure including at least one housing orifice rotatably housing the connecting plate of one of the blades of the propeller.

3. The propeller according to claim 2 , wherein the connecting plate comprises a disk.

4. The propeller according to claim 1 , wherein the retaining structure comprises a generally annular shape.

5. The propeller according to claim 4 , wherein a cross section of the retaining structure comprises a shape of an aerodynamic profile.

6. The propeller according to claim 1 , wherein the abutment is arranged facing a radially internal surface of the retaining structure.

7. An aircraft portion comprising:
a fuselage defining a pressurized compailinent, and
at least one turbomachine attached to the fuselage via an attachment pylon,
said turbomachine including at least one propeller comprising:
a plurality of blades, each blade comprising a root and an aerodynamic part,
a structure for radial retention of the blades in the event of one of the blades breaking,

said retaining structure extending around the propeller rotation axis and wherein the aerodynamic part of each blade extends through said retaining structure, and
each aerodynamic part comprising an abutment, the retaining structure configured to retain the abutment in the event of a blade fracture causing a fracture in the aerodynamic part radially inside said abutment,
said propeller arranged in an imaginary transverse plane passing through said pressurized compaitment,
said retaining structure located at a radial distance from the root between 0.4 and 0.7 times a total radial dimension of the aerodynamic portion.

8. The aircraft porting according to claim 7 , wherein said pressurized compailinent comprises a passenger cabin.

9. The aircraft portion according to claim 7 , wherein said turbomachine includes two contrarotating propellers each arranged in an imaginary transverse plane passing through said pressurized compailinent.

10. The aircraft portion according to claim 6 , wherein said turbomachine is attached to an aft portion of the fuselage via the attachment pylon.

11. An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage defining a pressurized compailinent, and
at least one turbomachine attached to the fuselage via an attachment pylon, said turbomachine including at least one propeller comprising:
a plurality of variable pitch blades, each variable pitch blade comprising a root and an aerodynamic part,
a structure for radial retention of the blades in the event of one of the variable pitch blades breaking,
said retaining structure extending around the propeller rotation axis and wherein the aerodynamic part of each variable pitch blade passes through said retaining structure, and
each aerodynamic part equipped with an abutment, retaining structure configured to retain the abutment in the event of a variable pitch blade fracture causing a fracture in the aerodynamic part radially inside said abutment,
said propeller arranged in an imaginary transverse plane passing through said pressurized compartment.
said retaining structure located at a radial distance from the root between 0.4 and 0.7 times a total radial dimension of the aerodynamic portion.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sas

Inventors

• Guillemaut Julien
• Gallant Guillaume

Classifications

• B64C11/20

  Constructional features · CPC title

• B64C11/06

  for variable-pitch blades · CPC title

• B64D2027/005

  Aircraft with an unducted turbofan comprising contra-rotating rotors, e.g. contra-rotating open rotors [CROR] · CPC title

• B64C11/18

  Aerodynamic features · CPC title

• F01D21/04

  responsive to undesired position of rotor relative to stator {or to breaking-off of a part of the rotor}, e.g. indicating such position · CPC title