A method of fabricating a filler body for a blade of a rotor. In addition, such a method comprises a succession of steps of adding material layer by layer, each step consisting in making a new layer of material on a preceding layer of material made in the preceding step, at least one of the steps consisting in making an openwork layer of material presenting a plurality of openings, the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generating openwork layers of material, each having a closed outline, the respective closed outlines of the openwork layers of material touching mutually in pairs and forming a closed envelope of the filler body for the blade.

The present invention includes a span-balance pocket in a surface of a rotor blade, the span-balance pocket including an inboard surface and an outboard surface; and one or more weights disposed in the span-balance pocket to span-balance the rotor blade; and at least one of one or more retention devices to retain the one or more weights against the outboard surface of the span-balance pocket or the span-balance pocket is machined or molded into a tip block of the rotor blade.

An aerial vehicle may be equipped with propellers having reconfigurable geometries. Such propellers may have blade tips or other features that may be adjusted or reconfigured while the aerial vehicle is operating, on any basis. Propellers having reconfigurable blade tips joined to blade roots may cause the blade tips to be aligned with the blade roots, or substantially perpendicular to the blade roots, e.g., in order to counter adverse effects of tip vortices, or at any intervening angle. The propellers may be reconfigured at predetermined times during operation of an aerial vehicle, or upon sensing one or more operational characteristics or environmental conditions, as may be desired or required.

The present invention includes a first barrier layer configured to cover a leading edge of the blade or wing; one or more electrical bus bars disposed on the first barrier layer proximate to and substantially parallel with the leading edge; a ground bus bar disposed on the first barrier layer proximate to and substantially parallel with the leading edge; a second barrier layer disposed over the one or more electrical bus bars and the ground bus bar; one or more heating elements disposed on the second barrier layer, and each heating element electrically connected to one of the electrical bus bars and to the ground bus bar; and a third barrier layer disposed over the one or more heating elements.

A split winglet has a leading airfoil (LA) comprising a LA leading edge, a LA trailing edge, a LA upper surface, and a LA lower surface. The split winglet also has a trailing airfoil (TA) comprising a TA leading edge, a TA trailing edge, a TA upper surface, and a TA lower surface. The split winglet further has a base connected to each of the LA and the TA, the base being configured for connection to a tip of a main airfoil.

Sounds are generated by an aerial vehicle during operation. For example, the motors and propellers of an aerial vehicle generate sounds during operation. Disclosed are systems, methods, and apparatus for actively adjusting the position of one or more propeller blade treatments of a propeller blade of an aerial vehicle during operation of the aerial vehicle. For example, the propeller blade may have one or more propeller blade treatments that may be adjusted between two or more positions. Based on the position of the propeller blade treatments, the airflow over the propeller is altered, thereby altering the sound generated by the propeller when rotating. By altering the propeller blade treatments on multiple propeller blades of the aerial vehicle, the different sounds generated by the different propeller blades may effectively cancel, reduce, and/or otherwise alter the total sound generated by the aerial vehicle.

A rotor blade system includes a rotor blade having an outboard section and an inboard section, a hinge joint rigidly attached to the outboard section, and an adhedral tip engaged with the hinge joint. A method includes pivotally attaching an adhedral tip to the rotor blade and pivoting the adhedral tip during flight to change the flight performance characteristics of the blade during flight.

A rotor blade includes an elongated body having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a proximal end, and a distal end; a fluid inlet; a fluid outlet arranged near the distal end of the elongated body; and a fluid duct contained within the elongated body, the fluid duct being substantially open between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, the fluid duct having a shape to reduce fluid velocities C generated by the interaction of fluid exiting the fluid duct and external fluid at the distal end.

Example embodiments provide a propeller apparatus comprising at least one blade able to twist along a blade twist axis, a hub, a shaft connected to the hub and configured to rotate such that the at least one blade rotates about a shaft axis, and at least one offset propeller unit located in at least one of an upper surface and/or a lower surface of the at least one blade, the at least one offset propeller unit configured to provide thrust. In the propeller apparatus the thrust of the at least one offset propeller unit generates a force to cause the at least one blade to rotate about the shaft axis, and a moment about the blade twist axis of the at least one blade to cause the blade to have a blade pitch angle.

A rotor blade configured to be installed on a rotary-wing aircraft includes a main blade body including an inboard end configured to be coupled to a rotor blade hub and an outboard end. The rotor blade includes a blade tip removably coupled to the outboard end of the main blade body, the blade tip including an inner cavity. The rotor blade further includes a tip block including an inboard portion coupled to the outboard end of the main blade body and a cantilevered portion extending beyond the outboard end of the rotor blade and into the inner cavity of the blade tip.