Swashplateless rotor head

Last crawled date: 1 year, 11 months ago

https://pocharitechnologies.com/2019/03/01/electronic-actuated-rotor-head/
Many mistakenly assume slip rings are required to achieve electric IBC, this is incorrect. Pochari Technologies has solved the long-standing issue facing IBC which was the need fo either hydraulic slip rings or electric slip rings. A simple solution is where a permanent magnet generator is mounted on the rotating assembly, a shaft passes through the drive system to the fixed assembly, providing constant power as long as the rotor system is spinning. The system provides a comparable if not higher level of redundancy than traditional swashplate-pitch link hydraulic rotor control systems while eliminating all their disadvantages. IBC provides up to an 80% reduction in vibration and significant reduction in acoustic signature as well as reduced power consumption. IBC also increases rotorcraft agility and maneuverability.

“Rotorcraft such as helicopters commonly make use of a complex mechanical device known as a “swashplate” to control collective pitch (for providing a change in altitude) and cyclic pitch (for providing change in attitude, and thus maneuvering). By actuating the angles of attack of the rotor blades, each of which is capable of rotating at its root, where it connects to the rotor head, the collective and cyclic pitch of the helicopter can be controlled”

The swashplate, which comprises a non-rotating lower plate movably connected to a rotating upper plate by bearings, is typically located just below the rotor head on the axis of the main rotor shaft, and is itself typically actuated by hydraulic cylinders mounted to the chassis. When rotorcraft controls actuate the hydraulic cylinders, the hydraulic cylinders move and pitch the non-rotating lower plate up and down and at an angle with respect to the plane of the main rotor. This up-and-down movement and/or pitch is transferred to the rotating half of the swashplate. The rotating half of the swashplate thereby transmits the motion of the stationary actuators to the several rotating pitch links, which connect the upper plate of the swashplate to the blade roots and act as lever arms, increasing or decreasing the blades’ angle of attack.

A swashplate, however, disadvantageously adds weight and aerodynamic drag to a rotorcraft, which can in turn reduce power, speed, maneuverability, and increase cost of flight. Another major disadvantage of a swashplate is that it limits control inputs to one per revolution of the rotor blades (except in the case of a three-bladed rotor). In addition, because of its mechanical complexity and the fact that it provides a single point of critical failure, swashplates necessitate many hours of inspection and preventative maintenance. The pitch links of a swashplate, which occupy a relatively large volume on the upper side of a rotor shaft and are therefore difficult to shield, also introduce significant ballistic vulnerability, as from missile attack, flak, and other flying debris. Damage to any one of the pitch links results in a loss of rotorcraft control.