Helicopter compound configuration vertical stabilizer

Abstract

The vertical stabilizer provided by the application comprises a rudder surface and a side end plate, wherein the rudder surface comprises a sandwich structure, the side end plate comprises a frame beam structure and a sandwich structure, the rudder surface is movably connected with the side end plate, and the side end plate is fixedly connected with an end rib of a horizontal stabilizer.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of helicopter structure design, and particularly relates to a composite vertical stabilizer of a high-speed helicopter. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the field of high-speed helicopter design, in order to solve the assembly problem, designers usually design a vertical stabilizer with a sandwich structure when the vertical stabilizer has a narrow airfoil. Although the sandwich structure is simple in forming process and light in weight, it cannot provide a connecting joint which can be conveniently disassembled and maintained for a movable surface. Meanwhile, since a bolt needs to pass through the thickness of the vertical stabilizer to fix the vertical stabilizer to the horizontal stabilizer, the bolt bears a large bending moment, which increases the diameter and weight of the bolt.

[0003] Or in order to solve the problem of the long bolt, a metal insert needs to be embedded in the sandwich structure, and a countersunk hole is opened on the insert, so that the bolt is sunk into the insert, and then a plug is used to plug the countersunk hole of the insert. This increases the process complexity, and on the other hand, since the bolt is sunk into the insert, it is not convenient to observe the bolt during daily maintenance.

[0004] The vertical stabilizer of the helicopter is usually installed on a metal angle which is riveted to the horizontal stabilizer. Since the angle protrudes from the surface of the aerodynamic shape, on the one hand, it destroys the overall appearance of the helicopter, and on the other hand, it will adversely affect the aerodynamic characteristics of the helicopter. For a high-speed helicopter, this disadvantage is more obvious. SUMMARY

[0005] In view of the above technical problems, the application provides a composite vertical stabilizer of a helicopter, comprising:

[0006] A rudder surface comprising a sandwich structure.

[0007] A side end plate comprising a frame beam structure and a sandwich structure, wherein the rudder surface is movably connected to the side end plate, and the side end plate is fixedly connected to an end rib of the horizontal stabilizer.

[0008] Preferably, the side end plate comprises:

[0009] An upper half of the side end plate comprising a frame beam structure.

[0010] A lower half of the side end plate comprising a sandwich structure, wherein the upper half of the side end plate is riveted to the lower half of the side end plate.

[0011] Preferably, the frame beam structure comprises:

[0012] A front beam.

[0013] A rear beam connected to the front beam through a lower end rib, an intermediate rib and an upper end rib.

[0014] a skin covering the front spar, rear spar, lower end rib, middle rib and upper end rib.

[0015] Preferably, the sandwich structure comprises:

[0016] a composite I-beam;

[0017] a foam interlayer, glued to the composite I-beam;

[0018] a composite skin covering the composite I-beam and foam interlayer.

[0019] Preferably, the rudder surface and the side end plate are determined based on the controllability, stability, manufacturability and structural force transmission simplicity of the aircraft.

[0020] Preferably, the upper half of the side end plate and the lower half of the side end plate are determined based on the controllability, stability, manufacturability and structural force transmission simplicity of the aircraft.

[0021] Preferably, the front spar comprises:

[0022] an upper half of the front spar arranged at the aerodynamic center of the airfoil;

[0023] a lower half of the front spar connected to the upper half of the front spar, wherein the lower half of the front spar is perpendicular to the chord line of the end rib of the horizontal stabilizer.

[0024] the rear spar comprises:

[0025] an upper half of the rear spar, the arrangement of which is determined based on the hinge joint of the rudder surface;

[0026] a lower half of the rear spar connected to the upper half of the rear spar, wherein the lower half of the rear spar is perpendicular to the chord line of the end rib of the horizontal stabilizer.

[0027] Preferably, the rudder surface is connected to the upper half of the rear spar through a hinge joint; and the side end plate is connected to the cylindrical nut fixed inside the end rib of the horizontal stabilizer through a bolt.

[0028] The beneficial technical effects of the present application are:

[0029] The vertical stabilizer of the high-speed helicopter composite configuration provided by the present application simultaneously contains a frame beam structure and a sandwich structure, which simplifies the composition of the vertical stabilizer, reduces the assembly difficulty, facilitates the disassembly and maintenance of the movable rudder surface mounting joint, shortens the length of the mounting bolt and reduces the bending moment borne by the bolt. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1A schematic structural diagram of a composite-configuration vertical stabilizer for a helicopter provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the upper half of the side end plate structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 3 This embodiment of the present application provides Figure 2 The enlarged view of point I in the middle;

[0033] Figure 4 This embodiment of the present application provides Figure 3 Cross-section at AA in the middle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] See also Figures 1-4 This application provides a high-speed helicopter vertical stabilizer with a composite configuration, incorporating both a frame-beam and sandwich structures. This simplifies the vertical stabilizer's composition, reduces assembly difficulty, facilitates disassembly and maintenance of the movable rudder mounting joints, shortens the length of the mounting bolts, and reduces the bending moment they bear. It also provides a vertical stabilizer mounting method that enhances the helicopter's overall aesthetics while maintaining its aerodynamic characteristics.

[0035] In an embodiment of the present application, the present application provides a high-speed helicopter composite configuration vertical stabilizer and its installation. The present invention divides the vertical stabilizer into rudder surfaces and side end plates according to different functions, wherein the side end plates are fixed on the end ribs of the horizontal stabilizer.

[0036] It should be noted that, taking into account various factors such as the different stress patterns of the side end panels, maintenance of the rudder surface mounting joints, removal of the side end panels, and manipulation of the rudder surfaces, the side end panels are further subdivided into the upper and lower sections. The rudder surface is a sandwich structure, fixed to the rear beam of the upper section of the side end panel via two sets of hinge joints.

[0037] The upper section of the side panel is a frame-beam structure, consisting of a front beam, rear beam, lower ribs, intermediate ribs, upper ribs, and skin. The layout of the front beam in the upper section of the side panel takes into account the location of the aerodynamic center of pressure and the position of the side panel's mounting point on the horizontal stabilizer. The layout of the rear beam in the side panel takes into account the installation and maintenance of the rudder surface and the position of the side panel's mounting point on the horizontal stabilizer.

[0038] Furthermore, the layout of the intermediate ribs takes into account load transfer, the installation and movement space of the control mechanism, etc. The skin should be riveted to the beams and ribs to facilitate load transfer. At the same time, to facilitate the installation and maintenance of the control mechanism, the skin can be equipped with removable covers.

[0039] In one feasible implementation, the lower half of the side endplate is a sandwich structure riveted to the upper half. There are multiple ways to subdivide the side endplate into the upper and lower halves, and various factors such as load transfer, structural weight, and manufacturability should be considered. The vertical stabilizer is mounted within a barrel nut secured to the end rib of the horizontal stabilizer.

[0040] Specifically, the present invention comprises a rudder surface, an upper end panel section, and a lower end panel section. The upper end panel section and the lower end panel section are designed with different structural forms, including a frame-beam structure and a sandwich structure, respectively. The end panels are secured to cylindrical nuts mounted on the end ribs of the horizontal stabilizer, minimizing the impact of conventional end panel installation on the aircraft's aerodynamic characteristics. The vertical stabilizer segmentation method is not unique and is not limited here.

[0041] In other embodiments of the present application, as shown in the attached Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the present application consists of a rudder I, the upper half section of the side end plate II, and the lower half section of the side end plate III, wherein the upper half section of the side end plate II is a frame beam structure, consisting of the upper half section 1 of the front beam, the lower half section 2 of the front beam, the upper half section 3 of the rear beam, the lower half section 4 of the rear beam, the lower end rib 5, the middle rib 6, the upper end rib 7, the first skin 8, the second skin 9, etc.

[0042] The rudder I and the lower section III of the side endplate are sandwich structures. The front spar upper section 1 is located at the aerodynamic pressure center of the airfoil, improving the efficiency of bearing and transmitting aerodynamic loads. The layout of the rear spar upper section 3 primarily considers the installation and maintenance of the rudder surface hinge joint. The distance between its web and the rudder surface should not be too far or too close. Too far increases the additional bending moment of the hinge joint lug, which is not conducive to lightweight design. Too close will easily cause interference between the rudder surface and the rear spar web.

[0043] In this embodiment, the distance between the web surface of the upper rear beam and the rudder surface is required to be 5 to 10 mm. The lower front beam section 2 and the lower rear beam section 4 are perpendicular to the chord line of the flat tail end rib 11 to facilitate the arrangement and installation of the barrel nut 12.

[0044] The middle rib 6 is located at the bend between the front and rear beams, as close as possible to the rudder hinge joint to facilitate load transfer to the rudder surface. The lower section of the front beam 3, the lower section of the rear beam 4, the lower end rib 5, the middle rib 6, and the skin 9 form a closed box section, which not only facilitates load transfer, but also provides space for the installation and movement of the rudder control mechanism and facilitates the removal and inspection of the side end plate bolts 10.

[0045] The vertical stabilizer of the high-speed helicopter composite configuration and the installation thereof provided by the application simplify the composition of the vertical stabilizer, reduce the assembly difficulty, facilitate the disassembly and maintenance of the movable control surface mounting joint, shorten the length of the mounting bolt, and reduce the bending moment borne by the bolt. Meanwhile, the vertical stabilizer installation mode provided by the application improves the overall appearance of the helicopter and maintains the aerodynamic characteristics of the helicopter.

Claims

1. A helicopter compound configuration vertical stabilizer, characterized by, The vertical stabilizer is divided into a rudder surface and a side end plate according to different functions; the side end plate is further divided into an upper side end plate and a lower side end plate according to different force forms of the side end plate, maintenance of a rudder surface installation joint, disassembly of the side end plate and steering of the rudder surface; The rudder surface is a sandwich structure; the rudder surface is movably connected with the side end plate, and the side end plate is fixedly installed in a cylindrical nut of a horizontal stabilizer end rib; The upper side end plate is a frame beam structure; the lower side end plate is a sandwich structure; the upper side end plate is riveted with the lower side end plate; The frame beam structure comprises: a front beam; a rear beam connected with the front beam through lower end ribs, middle ribs and upper end ribs; a skin covering the front beam, the rear beam, the lower end ribs, the middle ribs and the upper end ribs; The front beam comprises: an upper front beam, the arrangement of which comprehensively considers the position of an aerodynamic pressure center and the position of a side end plate installation point on a horizontal stabilizer surface; a lower front beam connected with the upper front beam, wherein the lower front beam is perpendicular to a chord line of a horizontal stabilizer end rib; The rear beam comprises: an upper rear beam, the arrangement of which comprehensively considers the installation and maintenance of a rudder surface and the position of a side end plate installation point on a horizontal stabilizer surface; a lower rear beam connected with the upper rear beam, wherein the lower rear beam is perpendicular to a chord line of a horizontal stabilizer end rib.

2. Helicopter composite configuration vertical fin according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sandwich structure comprises: a composite I-beam; a foam interlayer; a composite skin covering the composite I-beam and the foam interlayer.

3. Helicopter composite configuration vertical fin according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rudder surface and the side end plate are determined based on the maneuverability, stability, manufacturability and structural force transmission simplicity of an aircraft.

4. Helicopter composite configuration vertical fin according to claim 3, characterized in that, The upper side end plate and the lower side end plate are determined based on the maneuverability, stability, manufacturability and structural force transmission simplicity of an aircraft.

5. Helicopter composite configuration vertical fin according to claim 4, characterized in that, The rudder surface is connected with the upper rear beam through a hinge joint; the side end plate is connected with a cylindrical nut fixed in a horizontal stabilizer end rib through a bolt.

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