There are several apparent advantages of the be accomplished in the field unless teardown ca-

fiberglass construction over the metal. The major
one is the life of the blade. From all indication the
fiberglass blade will have no finite life, as does the
metal blade. In addition, the fiberglass blade will be
less susceptible to notch damage (Fig. 5-44), due to
the threads of the roving. Corrosion of fiberglass is
non-existent. Bonding or delamination problems
can often be repaired by epoxy resin injections and
may be performed in the field. For these reasons
there will be undoubtedly more fiberglass or com-
posites on the market with the new helicopters.
NOTCH DAMAGE CHARACTERISTICS
FIBERGLASS
NOTCH UNDER LOAD AFTER CONTINUED LOADING
UNNOTCHED FIBERS LIMITED NOTCH GROWTH.
CONTINUE TO CARRY UNNOTCHED FIBERS
LOAD. CONTINUE TO CARRY
LOAD.
STEEL
NOTCH UNDER LOAD AFTER CONTINUED LOADING
pabilities are available. It is quite normal, however,
for the greased head to sling grease, especially im-
mediately after service. Both the grease and oil
should be removed so that no accumulation occurs.
This accumulation would not only make visual in-
spection impossible, but it would retain moisture
and dirt that can be harmful to the head.
Normal rotor head inspections are visual. Loose
items, such as rod ends, will only add to a more
rapid deterioration of the head. The feel of the
movements and the possibility of cracks should not
be omitted from any inspection criteria.
On certain heads, periodic inspections may be
required. These might include such items as DYE
CHECK® inspections, partial disassembly, and
rotation of bearings. These could be required at
different intervals of time or as the result of
Airworthiness Directives.
The rotor head is a highly stressed unit and usually
has many time-change and mandatory retirement
items. The constant checking of logbooks, replace-
ment/retirement schedules, and historical records
prior to each inspection is a time consuming task.

RADIATING STRESS NOTCH HAS GROWN AND

PATTERN DEFINES AREA CRACK HAD DEVELOPED.
OF WEAKNESS. AREA OF WEAKNESS HAS
GROWN. FAILURE IS
IMMINENT.

Fig. 5-44 Notch damage comparison of metal and

fiberglass.

F. Rotor Head Maintenance

The servicing of the rotor head normally consists
of lubrication. Proper lubrication of the rotor head
cannot be stressed enough. The greasing of the
head is done with a hand-type grease gun, using
the manufacturer's specified grease. The intervals
are also specified by the manufacturer. However,
when operations are conducted in certain areas,
more frequent greasing is advisable. For example:
a sandy environment would require more frequent
lubrication to remove the sand from the greased
areas. Although the wet head should require less
servicing and lubrication, leaks may occur. Most
systems will have some leakage, but excessive
leakage will cause bearing damage.
Leakage of the head is quite obvious and the
procedure for locating leaks is the same as in any
other rotational item. The head must be clean be-
fore the origin of the leak can be discovered. Then Fig. 5-45 Bracket used to prevent damage to the ten-
the helicopter must be run for a short period and sion-torsion straps during removal and
inspected. Quite often the repair of a leak cannot installation.
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 Some manufacturers will allow the major inspec-
tions and overhaul to be performed in the field, while
others have exchange programs or certain autho-
rized repair stations that do work of this nature.
Because of the complexity and specific require-
ments of this type of work, it will not be discussed
in this section. General overhaul procedures will
be discussed in a later section of this text.
Special inspection of the rotor system will be re-
quired when certain circumstances exist, such as
overspeeds, sudden stoppage and hard landings. The
inspections will vary with the design of the head and
the requirements of the manufacturer. Depending
upon circumstances, the inspection required may
be only a through visual inspection, while in other
situations it may require a complete teardown or
replacement of the rotor. Manufacturer's publica-
tions cover the special inspections in detail.
Removal and installation varies from design to
design. Some rotor heads may be removed with the
blades installed, while others will require blade
removal prior to removing the heads. This is usu-
ally dictated by the size of the rotor and the equip-
ment available.

STABILIZER BAR ASSEMBLY

MIXING LEVER
PITCH CHANGE LINK
CONTROL TUBE
DAMPENER LINK TUBE
STABILIZER SUPPORT
RETAINING NUT LOCK
RETAINING NUT
WASHER
MAIN ROTOR
MAST
CONE SET
STABILIZER DAMPENERS
SCISSORS AND SLEEVE ASSEMBLY
SWASHPLATE AND SUPPORT ASSEMBLY
BOLT
17. NUT

16

Fig. 5-46 Typical rotor head removal for a semirigid rotor

Aircraft Technical Book Company
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Fig. 5-47 Special multiplier wrench used to remove a rotor head.
The first step in the removal of any rotor system
is to disconnect the flight controls attached to the
rotor head. The controls are usually attached by
bolts through rod ends and close tolerance bolts.
A
HOISTING ADAPTER
' GROUND HANDLING
PINS (4 PLACES)
Often when pitch controls are disconnected, spe-
cial holders are required to keep the blade pitch
arms from moving to the point that damage may
occur to the head. Specifically, damage can occur to
tension torsion straps, equalizer links, or strap
packs. Fig. 5-45 shows a typical pitch horn holder.
After the controls are disconnected, some have
other items that may be required to be removed, such
as stabilizer bars, collective controls, dampener res-
ervoirs, and driveshafts (Fig. 5-46). The mast nut
used to hold the rotor head to the mast assembly are

HOISTING
.P"i1‘4,412)111 of a special nature and will require a special wrench
for installation and removal. The torque used may
EYEBOLTS
(4 PLACES)

• require a hydraulic wrench or multiplier wrench

(Sweeny wrench) (Fig. 5-47). Once the nut is re-
moved, the head may need special hoisting slings or
eyes for lifting the rotor system (Fig. 5-48).The rotor,
removed with the blades, requires a suitable stand
on which to sit the rotor assembly (Fig. 49).

MAST
STAND

AFT JACKING PAD

STA 197.703

FWD JACKING
FITTING
BOTH SIDES
STA 96.89

Fig. 5-48 Hoisting eyes are often used to remove the Fig. 5-49 Typical stand used to place the rotor after
rotor system. removal.
Aircraft Technical Book Company
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FORCE GRIP occur between the bolt and grip. This transfer will
I.' elongate the hole and destroy the airworthiness of
/ OM"
BLADE
the grip. Damage to the blade retaining bolt, the
v blade hole, bushing, or spreading of the fork of the
-- BLADE MUST BE RAISED
grip may occur by heavy pounding. The bolt removal
TO RELIEVE PRESSURE should only require moderate pressure (Fig. 5-50).
ON THE BOLT Some blades required a special puller to remove
Fig. 5-50 Blade removal requires lifting the blade. the bolt (Fig. 5-51). Other blades are retained by
Different rotor heads and blade systems have dif- taper pins (Fig. 5-52), requiring special pullers.
ferent means of securing the blades to the rotor head. Another method is where a circle of bolts is used to
One method is the use of a blade retaining bolt in the retain the blade (Fig. 5-53). Regardless of the
grip assembly. Before the blade is removed, it must method, the blade must be properly supported
be properly supported to prevent binding between when it is removed, in order to prevent damage.
the grip and the blade. If an attempt is made to re- When blades are to be removed and the rotor
move the bolt without proper support, galling will system is installed on the helicopter, the support of
the blade is even more critical because of the
SEE DETAIL B
height and the damage that may occur during re-
moval. For this reason the blades are usually re-
SEE DETAIL A moved from the aft of the helicopter. This may also
4.050 require support to the remaining blades.
After the blades are removed, it is important that
they be stored on blade racks. This will prevent blade
-PP -AP- 3 750 ,5 damage. The rotor heads should be placed on a suit-
14.0 11.0 0.125 - 0.150 able stand to prevent damaging the head.
DETAIL A
As previously mentioned, the disposition of the
head that has been removed varies with the dif-
AI- 6
ferent manufacturers. If the head is the type re-
quiring a major inspection and return to service,
adherence to the overhaul instructions is very crit-
tS.F. THREAD 0.87 .14
DETAIL B
NOTE
ALL DIMENSIONS SHOWN ARE IN INCHES.
ical. The steps are as follows: Determine which
parts have time lives and if that time has been
PULLER ROD ASSEMBLY 413010R BETTER). 1.0 0.0. - 15.0 LONG reached. Parts that have reached maximum life
3 HEY NUTS 0.875 NE 1141 THREAD
BEARING (THRUST) INNER RACE 1.01.0.
PLATE OR WASHER, STEEL OR ALUMINUM, 4.0504. 125 0.0.,
will be discarded without an inspection.
1,125 1.11. 0 250 THICK
5. PLATE OR WASHER, STEEL OR ALUMINUM. 3.750 am. 1.125 LD.. The head will have to be disassembled for inspec-
0.250 THICK
6 TUBE, STEEL OR ALUMINUM. WALL THICKNESS 0083 - 0125 tion. This procedure requires several special tools.
No rebuilding should be attempted without the proper
Fig. 5-51 Special tool used to remove blade retaining equipment. After disassembly, clean the parts and
pins. check part dimensions. Quite often these dimensions

Fig. 5-52 Taper pin method of retaining the blades.

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are in 10ths of thousandths, rather than thou-
sandths. This will require micrometers capable of
these readings. Typical dimensional checks are
shown in Fig. 5-54.
After these checks are taken, the parts of ferrous
metal are magnafluxed and the nonferrous parts are
zygloed to locate cracks. Usually the amperages
used for magnafluxing and areas of concern are
given in the overhaul manual. At this point, some
part may require rework or updates. This could in-
clude adding bushings, changing radii, and remov-
ing nicks or scratches. At this time the finish of the
part is examined and refinished. Manufacturers do
not recommend replacement of plating in the field
due to hydrogen embrittlement. If any plating is to
be done, it must be only in accordance with the
manufacturer's recommendation. This will usu-
ally require stress relieving of the part.
After the parts have been inspected, they are ready
for reassembly. The disposition of certain items, such
as bearings and hardware, is done at the discretion of
the operator. Some operators will never use certain
items twice, while others will. Rebuilding of
BLADE NO. 3 BLADE NO. 2
(CODED YELLOW) (CODED BLUE)
BLADE ROTATION
ROTATION asio
d
in\ BLADE NO. 1
(CODED RED)
BLADE NO. 4 BLADE NO. 5
(CODED WHITE) (CODED BLACK)
DETAIL A
Fig. 5-53 Blade removal and storage method used on S-76 helicopter.
119
components has a direct relationship to the required
maintenance during service life. The reassembly
will require such procedures as shimming, bearing
pinches, and end play measurements that will be
discussed in another section of the text. When the
head is reassembled, a color code of the component is
usually placed on the parts for identification pur-
poses because no left and right is present (Fig. 5-55).
After the head is reassembled, the blades may be
reinstalled, taking the same precautions used in
disassembly. At this point, a series of maintenance
procedures may begin.
1. Blade alignment
Blade alignment is necessary on semirigid rotors.
This procedure is sometimes referred to as chordwise
balance, but this is really a misnomer. The procedure
involves moving the blades about the lead-lag axis
held stationary during the operation by the drag
brace or latch pins, depending upon the design of the
head. This movement is for the specific purpose of
placing the blades in correct relationship with the
hub of the rotor. This relationship places the center of
SEE DETAIL A
Aircraft Technical Book Company
P.O. Box 270
Tabernash, CO 80478
(800) 780-4115 (970) 887-2207
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