Innovative Pitch Rod Actuators for Individual Blade Control

Current pitch rods are used to adjust the pitch on the main rotor blades. The collective pitch control is actuated through the swashplate to change the pitch of each blade all at once. There is no current method to individually change the pitch of only one blade individually in production, but there have been some research activities in this area. The technology proposed would remove the currently passive pitch rod and replace it with an active pitch rod that can adjust the main rotor pitch of each blade individually at relatively high bandwidths. Midé proposes to develop a self contained actuation system for Individual Blade Control. Individual Blade Control (IBC) has been predicted to be effective in improving rotor performance. A well developed theory has been posed that a controlled oscillation of the rotor blades can improve overall rotor performance by improving the L/De, or effective lift to drag ratio. If the rotor blade system is more efficient, the rotor speed can be reduced while still generating sufficient lift. The rotor speed reduction would significantly reduce rotor noise, reduce vibration, and in general make for a more efficient aircraft.