Aircraft Propulsion Torque Isolation Using Coaxial Thrust Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vertical lift aircraft face challenges with torque transfer to the fuselage, necessitating counter torque mechanisms like tail rotors or counter rotating blades, which increase weight, complexity, and maintenance costs, and pose safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
The use of a thrust support structure that is coaxial and perpendicular to the rotor shaft, receiving thrust from engines to rotate and engage the rotor shaft, eliminating the need for counter torque mechanisms by isolating torque from the fuselage through support bearings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a tail rotor is used to counteract torque, then the aircraft can maintain controlled flight, but the weight, complexity, and maintenance cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the torque counteraction function from the traditional tail rotor system and relocates it to the rotor blade level. Each rotor blade is equipped with its own thrust apparatus that generates thrust perpendicular to the rotor shaft, creating counter-torque locally at the blade level rather than requiring a separate tail rotor system. This extraction eliminates the need for complex mechanical linkages, gearboxes, and drive shafts while maintaining the essential function of torque counteraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the torque counteraction function by distributing multiple thrust apparatus units across different rotor blades. Instead of using a single centralized tail rotor, the system divides the counter-torque generation into multiple independent units mounted on individual blades. Each thrust apparatus can independently generate thrust to counteract torque, and the collective effect of multiple distributed units provides stable torque compensation while reducing overall system complexity.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a tail rotor is installed to mitigate opposing torque, then aircraft stability is improved, but safety hazards and noise increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the dimensional approach to torque counteraction by generating thrust in a direction perpendicular to the rotor shaft (radial dimension) rather than using a tail rotor that operates in the horizontal plane. The thrust apparatus on each rotor blade produces thrust vectors that are perpendicular to the rotor shaft, creating counter-torque through a different spatial dimension. This dimensional change eliminates the need for a protruding tail rotor structure, reducing safety hazards to ground personnel and lowering noise by avoiding the high-speed rotation of a separate tail rotor assembly.
3Device complexity
If counter rotating blades are used to eliminate torque, then the need for tail rotors is reduced, but the complexity and weight of the rotor system increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical counter-rotating blade system with a thrust-based approach. Instead of requiring two sets of counter-rotating blades that mechanically balance each other's torque, the system uses thrust apparatus on single rotor blades to generate thrust vectors that directly counteract torque. This substitution eliminates the need for complex mechanical coupling between counter-rotating systems and reduces weight by using lighter thrust generation mechanisms rather than heavy mechanical balance systems.
4Device complexity
If engines are mounted on rotor blade tips to eliminate torque transfer, then counter torque mechanisms are eliminated, but the rotor blades become unstable and noisy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary thrust support structure that mediates between the engines and the rotor shaft. The thrust apparatus generates thrust that acts on this intermediate support structure, which then transfers the force to rotate the rotor shaft. This intermediary structure isolates the rotor blades from direct engine mounting, preventing the instability and noise issues that arise from tip-mounted engines while still achieving torque isolation from the fuselage. The thrust support structure serves as a buffer that maintains blade stability while enabling torque-free rotation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces or eliminates torque transfer to the fuselage, eliminating the need for counter torque mechanisms, reduces weight and complexity, enhances safety, and maintains auto-rotation capability, while providing improved lift and reduced noise.
Implementation Method 1
engines coupled to a thrust support structure... wherein the thrust support structure is configured to rotate around an axis of the rotor shaft in response to thrust from the engines
Implementation Method 2
rotor shaft and its appendages... supported by one or more support bearings... reduces or eliminates torque transfer to the fuselage
Data Source
AI summary
Aircraft propulsion and torque mitigation technologies for aircraft are described. In embodiments, the disclosed technologies enable the provision of rotational torque for rotating the rotor blades of a vertical lift aircraft, while mitigating or even eliminating the need for counter torque methods and apparatuses such as tail rotors and counter rotating blades.