Device for rotary wing aircraft capable of providing information relative to the level of fatigue-related damage of said device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9982737-B2
Application number	US-201615085030-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2015
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A device configured for insertion between two parts of a rotary wing aircraft that are likely to undergo a repeated relative movement. The device includes at least two frame elements intended to be mounted on at least one of the two parts of the aircraft, and at least one layer of elastomer positioned between the two frame elements, the at least one layer defined by a first surface belonging to the inner volume of the device, a second surface also belonging to the inner volume of the device, and an outer surface not belonging to the inner volume of the device. The inner volume of the device includes at least two independent pouches each positioned at a predetermined distance from the outer surface, each pouch being filled with a product capable of flowing outside its pouch when a crack has spread from said outer surface toward the pouch in question.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device intended to be inserted between two parts of a rotary wing aircraft that are likely to undergo a repeated relative movement, the device comprising:
at least two frame elements intended to be mounted on at least one of the two parts of the aircraft, and
at least one layer of elastomer positioned between the two frame elements, said at least one layer being defined by a first surface belonging to an inner volume of the device, a second surface also belonging to the inner volume of the device, and an outer surface not belonging to the inner volume of the device,
wherein the device comprises, within the inner volume of the device, at least two independent pouches each positioned at a predetermined distance from the outer surface, each pouch being filled with a product capable of flowing outside its pouch when a crack has spread from said outer surface toward said pouch.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the product has a different color from the color of said at least one elastomer layer.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the product has luminescence properties.

4. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the product having luminescence properties comprises an optical brightener that the elastomer layer does not have.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the product is chosen among:
an elastomer able to be visually distinguished from the elastomer forming said at least one elastomer layer,
a liquid,
a pressurized gas,
a paste, or
a gel.

6. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the product comprises crumbs of elastomer which have a specific geometry.

7. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the product comprises a pressurized liquid or gas, and wherein the device comprises a pressure sensor for this pressurized liquid or gas.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said at least two independent pouches are situated at a same predetermined distance from the outer surface.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said at least two independent pouches are situated at different predetermined distances from the outer surface.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said at least two independent pouches define a surface, projected orthogonally on a reference surface of said at least one elastomer layer, that represents a maximum of 5% of said reference surface, the reference surface being a surface having a shape identical to one and/or the other of the first and second surfaces defining said at least one elastomer layer and that are in the inner volume of the device.

11. The device according to claim 10 , wherein said surface of said at least two independent pouches which is projected orthogonally on said reference surface of said at least one elastomer layer, represents a maximum of 4% of that reference surface.

12. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device comprises, between the two frames, a stack including said at least one elastomer layer and at least one shell made from a non-elastomer material that is more rigid than the elastomer forming said at least one elastomer layer.

13. The device according to claim 12 , wherein at least one of said at least two independent pouches crosses through at least one elastomer layer and at least one shell.

14. The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said at least two independent pouches extends from one frame element to the other.

15. The device according to claim 12 , wherein said at least two independent pouches are made in an elastomer layer, without crossing through a shell.

16. The device according to claim 15 , wherein said at least two independent pouches are made in a same elastomer layer.

17. The device according to claim 15 , wherein said at least two independent pouches are made in two different elastomer layers.

18. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device is comprised of a laminated thrust bearing, a damper, a laminated pad, a laminated ball joint, or a laminated hinge.

Assignees

• Hutchinson

Inventors

• Beltran Eduardo
• Briche Florian

Classifications

• F16F15/04 Primary

  using elastic means (single elements or their attachment F16F1/00 - F16F13/00); {(F16F15/023, F16F15/03 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B64C27/51 Primary

  Damping of blade movements · CPC title

• F16F2236/103

  linear · CPC title

• F16F7/09

  in dampers of the cylinder-and-piston type · CPC title

• F16F2224/025

  Elastomers · CPC title