US-12623773-B2 - Tunable blade assembly, a blade assembly, and a method of controlling vibration

US12623773B2US 12623773 B2US12623773 B2US 12623773B2US-12623773-B2

Abstract

An example blade assembly includes a blade extending along a longitudinal axis between a root end and a tip end spaced from the root end, wherein: the blade is configured to rotate concurrently with a hub and rotation of the blade generates vibrations in the blade, and the blade defines a cavity spaced from the tip end; and a tunable control assembly including a mass adjustable inside of the cavity of the blade to reduce the vibrations in the blade.

Inventors

Adam Ian Nadel
Lauren Marie Butt
Matthew Krott

Assignees

THE BOEING COMPANY

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20250529

Claims (7)

1 . A blade assembly coupled to a hub of a flight vehicle, the blade assembly comprising: a blade extending along a longitudinal axis between a root end and a tip end spaced from the root end, wherein: the blade is configured to rotate concurrently with the hub and rotation of the blade generates vibrations in the blade, and the blade defines a cavity spaced from the tip end; and a tunable control assembly including a mass adjustable inside of the cavity of the blade to reduce the vibrations in the blade, wherein the mass is structured to enable adjustment of a weight of the mass in flight.
2 . The blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mass includes liquid in a containment area, the blade assembly including: a first fluid line in fluid communication with an inlet to the containment area; a second fluid line in fluid communication with an outlet from the containment area; a pump in fluid communication with the first fluid line; and a reservoir in fluid communication with the second fluid line, the pump to adjust the weight of the mass by pumping the liquid from the reservoir, through the first fluid line, and into the containment area via the inlet.
3 . The blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mass is adjustable by changing a location of the mass inside the cavity.
4 . The blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mass is adjustable by changing a center of gravity of the mass.
5 . The blade assembly of claim 4 , wherein the mass includes a first mass portion and a second mass portion, the blade assembly including one or more actuators coupled to the first mass portion and the second mass portion, the one or more actuators to move the first mass portion independent of the second mass portion to change the center of gravity of the mass.
6 . The blade assembly of claim 1 , including: one or more sensors to generate measurement data of at least one of a vibratory load, a change of a location of the mass inside the cavity, a rotational speed of the blade, an airspeed, an angle of incidence, an angle of attack, or aerodynamics; and a controller in communication with the sensors, the controller to activate and deactivate the tunable control assembly to adjust the mass based on the measurement data.
7 . A blade assembly coupled to a hub of a flight vehicle, the blade assembly comprising: a blade extending along a longitudinal axis between a root end and a tip end spaced from the root end, wherein: the blade is configured to rotate concurrently with the hub and rotation of the blade generates vibrations in the blade, and the blade defines a cavity spaced from the tip end; and a tunable control assembly including a mass adjustable inside of the cavity of the blade to reduce the vibrations in the blade, wherein a weight of the mass is adjustable, wherein the mass includes liquid in a containment area, the blade assembly including: a first fluid line in fluid communication with an inlet to the containment area; a second fluid line in fluid communication with an outlet from the containment area; a pump in fluid communication with the first fluid line; and a reservoir in fluid communication with the second fluid line, the pump to adjust the weight of the mass by pumping the liquid from the reservoir, through the first fluid line, and into the containment area via the inlet.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION This patent arises from a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/590,391, filed on Feb. 28, 2024, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND Many different flight vehicles use rotatable blades to propel the vehicle. The blades are fabricated in a predetermined shape, weight, and stiffness, which produces blades having a predefined natural frequency. During operation of the flight vehicle, the blades are excited by external forces which causes the blades to vibrate. Vibration of the blades may become excessive if the rotating speed and/or excitation of the blades approaches or coincides with the predefined natural frequency of the respective blades. SUMMARY Therefore, it is desirable to develop a tunable blade assembly in which a mass within a blade is adjustable to reduce vibrations of the blade during operation of a flight vehicle. The present disclosure provides a tunable blade assembly for a flight vehicle. The tunable blade assembly includes a hub rotatable about a central axis. The tunable blade assembly also includes a blade extending along a longitudinal axis between a root end and a tip end, with the tip end spaced from the hub. The longitudinal axis is transverse to the central axis. The blade is coupled to the hub at the root end such that the blade is rotatable concurrently with the hub and rotation of the blade generates vibrations in the blade. The blade defines a cavity spaced from the tip end. The tunable blade assembly further includes a tunable control assembly which includes a mass adjustable inside of the cavity of the blade to reduce the vibrations in the blade. The present disclosure also provides a blade assembly coupled to a hub of a flight vehicle. The blade assembly includes a blade extending along a longitudinal axis between a root end and a tip end spaced from the root end. The blade is configured to rotate concurrently with the hub and rotation of the blade generates vibrations in the blade. The blade defines a cavity spaced from the tip end. The blade assembly also includes a tunable control assembly which includes a mass adjustable inside of the cavity of the blade to reduce the vibrations in the blade. The present disclosure further provides a method of controlling vibration of a tunable blade assembly for a flight vehicle. The method includes determining, via a controller, the vibration of a blade of the tunable blade assembly in response to rotation of the blade via a hub. The blade extends along a longitudinal axis between a root end and a tip end, with the tip end spaced from the hub. The hub and the blade are rotatable about a central axis, and the longitudinal axis is transverse to the central axis. The blade is coupled to the hub at the root end, and the blade defines a cavity spaced from the tip end. The method also includes determining, via the controller, if a threshold of the vibration is reached. The method further includes activating, via the controller, an actuator in response to the threshold of the vibration being reached. In addition, the method includes adjusting a mass inside of the cavity of the blade, via the actuator, to reduce the vibration of the blade. The detailed description and the drawings or FIGS. are supportive and descriptive of the disclosure, but the claim scope of the disclosure is defined solely by the claims. While some of the best modes and other configurations for carrying out the claims have been described in detail, various alternative designs and configurations exist for practicing the disclosure defined in the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a flight vehicle including a tunable blade assembly and a blade assembly. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-section view of a blade taken from lines 2-2 of FIG. 1, illustrating a tunable control assembly therein. FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the blade including an example configuration of the tunable control assembly suitable with the configurations of FIGS. 1 and 2, the tunable control assembly including a mass of a first size and a first location inside of the blade. FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the blade and the tunable control assembly of FIG. 3, illustrating the mass of a second size and a second location inside of the blade. FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the blade including another example configuration of the tunable control assembly suitable with the configurations of FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of the blade including yet another example configuration of the tunable control assembly suitable with the configurations of FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of the blade including another example configuration of the tunable control assembly suitable with the configurations of FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of the blade including yet another example configuration of the tunable control assembly