ROTARY-WING AIRCRAFT TORQUE COUPLING WITH PAD BEARINGS

摘要

A torque coupling for a rotor head of a rotary-wing aircraft is configure d for rotation with a mast and for causing rotation of an attached yoke. The coupling has trunnions that rotate with the mast and extend generally radia lly. Pad-bearing assemblies each have a central member coupled to one of the trunnions with a laminated spherical bearing and have laminated pad bearing s affixed to opposing sides of the central member. The laminated bearings ha ve alternating rigid and elastomeric layers. A bearing mount is affixed to e ach pad bearing and is connected to a yoke for rotating the yoke with the ma st. The pad-bearing assemblies allow for relative motion between each centra l member and the associated trunnion and between each central member and the bearing mounts through elastic shear deformation, and this allows for gimba lling of the attached yoke relative to the mast.