Light Weight Collective Pitch Control Systems for Swashplateless Rotors

Swashplateless rotor systems are being developed as a means of reducing weight, maintenance and in support of active rotor systems. These active rotor systems utilize some form of on-blade device to provide primary "cyclic" flight control. In order to achieve optimal performance however, such a system needs to be supplemented with a means of adjusting the average or "collective" pitch of the rotor blades while in flight. This proposal presents a conceptual approach to providing collective pitch control independent of an on-blade flight control system. The objective of this proposal is to develop a mechanical system that provides collective pitch control by means of an electrical actuator. The proposed system will be enclosed within the rotor hub and will provide collective control without the use of a swashplate and its associated external mechanical components. This system will be designed using an existing aircraft rotor hub as a baseline for comparison. The goals of this study are to define a robust system that provides the same capabilities as found in the baseline aircraft while achieving the technical objectives of reduced weight, drag and maintenance.