Maintaining a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter involves a careful examination of its components to ensure safe and efficient operation. One crucial aspect of this maintenance is caring for elastomeric components, such as bearings.

Read on to learn more about UH-60 Black Hawk bearings, including their function and how to identify when it’s time for a replacement.

Elastomeric Components in Helicopters

Elastomeric components play a vital role in UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter design as they mitigate vibrations that arise during flight. These components, made of bonded-rubber elastomeric elements, are versatile, lightweight, and cost-effective. Bearings are one example of elastomeric components.

What Are Bearings?

Bearings provide support and flexibility, allowing the hub and the dampers of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to move independently while maintaining their alignment.

Maintenance and Inspection of UH-60 Black Hawk Bearings

Proper maintenance involves routine visual inspections by knowledgeable mechanics. Elastomeric components can endure significant flight hours, from 5,000 to 10,000, but degradation is inevitable. Mechanics must be vigilant in identifying signs of degradation, including eraser crumbs, elastomer dust, cracks, and extrusion.

Causes and Effects of Elastomeric Degradation

Let’s look at some of the causes behind elastomeric degradation a little more closely:

• Fatigue: Oscillatory loading can lead to fatigue, causing crumbling, cracking, and rubber loss. Detecting signs of fatigue is crucial to prevent performance issues.
• Overload or Tension Loading: Extreme or inappropriate loading can damage bearings, leading to issues like bulk extrusion, clean cracks, and damage from foreign objects.
• Fluid Contamination: Certain fluids, such as petroleum-based oils and hydraulic fluids, can weaken elastomers, causing swelling and extrusion. Thorough cleaning is necessary to prevent further damage.
• Environmental Degradation: Daily exposure to sunlight, heat, and ozone can cause surface cracking. Heat, in particular, can make elastomers brittle and affect rubber-to-metal adhesives.

Taking Care of UH-60 Black Hawk Bearings

For the best maintenance of elastomeric components, the surrounding areas should be kept clean and free from contaminants. If cleaning fluids are used near elastomeric components, the components should be covered. It is also essential to protect the components from excessive heat with the use of heat shields.

How to Tell When to Replace UH-60 Black Hawk Bearings

Bearings need to be removed from service and overhauled due to any of the following:

• Cracks in the elastomeric surface area are more than 0.125-inch deep.
• The elastomeric component allows excessive motion or vibration.
• Any of the rubber-to-metal layers are touching each other or are cracked.
• More than 25% of the bonded area of the elastomeric component has separated.
• Severe oil contamination has occurred.

Reliable Bearings for Your UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter

You should choose a reliable supplier for components like dampers. Rotair Aerospace Corporation specializes in designing, manufacturing, and servicing helicopter dampers, ensuring the highest quality for rotorcraft models, including the UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter.

Caring for elastomeric components, especially UH-60 Black Hawk bearings, is important. You should schedule regular inspections, hire mechanics with a thorough knowledge of maintenance guidelines, and rely on trusted manufacturers to ensure a smooth flying experience for your pilots and passengers alike. At Rotair Aerospace Corporation, we strive to provide you with the highest-quality replacement parts for your UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Contact us today!