Bearing assembly for isolating and damping swashplate vibration
View Patent ↗A bearing assembly having a cage that holds a plurality of rollers, an inner race, and an outer race. A layer of viscoelastic material positioned between the inner race and a swashplate and/or the outer race and the housing. Alternatively, the inner race has an elongated groove that receives an O-ring segment and a holder that is fitted over the inner race.
1. A bearing assembly for isolating and damping vibration, comprising:
a cradle bearing having a cage with a plurality of rollers, an inner race and an outer race disposed within a housing;
the inner race having an elongated groove that receives an O-ring segment;
a swashplate supported by the cradle bearing and the inner race is positioned between the swashplate and the cage; and
a viscoelastic layer positioned between one of the inner race and the swashplate and the outer race and the housing.
2. The bearing assembly of claim 1 wherein the viscoelastic layer includes at least one of the group consisting of PEEK, polyamide-imide, polyphtalamide, PTFE; acetal and UHMW.
3. The bearing assembly of claim 1 wherein a hyper-viscelastic material is placed between the swashplate and the housing.
4. A bearing assembly for isolating and damping vibration, comprising;
a cradle bearing having a cage with a plurality of rollers, an inner race and an outer race disposed within a housing;
a swashplate supported by the cradle bearing and the inner race is positioned between the swashplate and the cage; and
a viscoelastic layer positioned between the inner race and the swashplate.
5. The assembly of claim 4 further comprising a viscoelastic layer positioned between the swashplate and the housing.
6. The bearing assembly of claim 4 wherein the viscoelastic layer includes at least one of the group consisting of PEEK, polyamide-imide, polyphtalamide PTFE, acetal and UHMW.
7. The bearing assembly of claim 4 wherein the outer race is arcuate.