Aeronautics and astronautics – Landing gear
Patent
1992-03-06
1993-11-09
Bucci, David A.
Aeronautics and astronautics
Landing gear
244107, 244139, B64C 2504, B64D 4504
Patent
active
052595749
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention pertains to the technical field of safety and protective devices for helicopters and which are designed to avoid violent landings.
The press regularly reports on accidents involving helicopters that crash to the ground following mechanical malfunctions or failure of lift occurring at an altitude lower than capable of inducing autorotation. Under such circumstances, helicopters reach an impact velocity with the ground or water that generates a fatal deceleration and crash.
Various relevant applications have proposed explosive parachutes comprising shock absorber devices in the form of inflatable means.
Also known is the use of inflatable means applicable under the frames of airplanes, so as to make possible gentle landings. These inflatable means are equipped with landing skids designed to assure progressive and complete braking of airplanes equipped with these means.
It is also known to use inflatable means on airplanes and helicopters attached to their underframe or support zone so as to create water flotation zones.
Nevertheless, none of these known devices with inflatable means are suitable for protecting with complete safety helicopters in the case of dives or crashes.
Thus, the goal of the invention was to investigate and find a solution making it possible to assure the safety, protection and survival of the personnel on board helicopters by limiting the effect of the impact by means of progressive and controlled cushioning of the helicopter during the dive or crash.
These and other goals will be presented in the description that follows.
In accordance with a first characteristic, the safety device of helicopters and equipment with rotors is remarkable in that it comprises an inflatable bag attached under the bottom fuselage, with its to part covering the totality of the surface of the helicopter's bottom fuselage, and having in the inflated position of use a trapezoidal shape of very large volume exceeding very greatly the volume defined by the helicopter, thus augmenting the support polygon, with the said bag being equipped on its sides with distortion-control reinforcement means and means for limiting and controlling the inside pressure.
In accordance with another characteristic, the bag is equipped with pressure-limiting means constituted by vents located in the top zone and the bottom zone of the bag, which vents make it possible to regulate the actual pressure while preserving a minimum residual pressure to permit flotation.
These and other characteristics will be presented in the description below.
The object of the invention is illustrated in a nonlimitative manner in the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing showing a side view of a helicopter equipped with the safety device which is the object of the invention in the deployed position.
FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 in front view.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the position of the helicopter and the safety device after a crash.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the inflatable bag with illustration of the reinforcement means.
FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5.
FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic drawings showing the addition of supplementary safety means laterally on the helicopter fuselage.
FIG. 9 is a partial view of FIG. 7 showing the shape of the bag with addition of the aforementioned supplementary means.
In order to increase the specificity of the object of the invention, it will now be described in a nonlimitative manner with reference to the implementation examples shown in the drawings.
Reference (2) designates a helicopter the bottom fuselage (2.1) of which is equipped to receive an inflatable bag (1). This ba is attached to the bottom part of the helicopter between the elements constituting its support underframe (2.2). This bag is made of any suitable, highly sturdy material, particularly cloth comprised of aramid fibers such as those sold under the trademark "Kevlar". Thus, this bag is very sturdy so as to be able to handle the pressures exerted on it dur
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Ansley Virna Lissi
Bucci David A.
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