Bell V-280 Valor Hydraulic System Optimization for Accelerated Development

The V-280 Valor is Bell Helicopter's next-generation tiltrotor, represented as the Air Vehicle Concept Demonstrator (AVCD), designed for the Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) program under a Technology Investment Agreement (TIA) with the US Army. The aircraft incorporates a Fly-By-Wire flight control system with a triplex redundant hydraulic system. The hydraulic system design was developed by conducting component and system level analysis in parallel with the broader design process. The parallel effort ensured that the hydraulic system would meet technical performance requirements and program goals for cost and schedule. Hydraulic system performance was evaluated in several areas including: Hydraulic Line Sizing, Thermal Performance and the Evaluation of Integrated Subsystems. The hydraulic system sizing iterations used a combination of steady state spreadsheet based analysis and dynamic system level analysis to achieve the necessary power delivery and thermal performance for the aircraft. The completed hydraulic system architecture maximizes performance while achieving minimum weight, cost and development time.