Split blade frictional damper

This invention relates to rotor blades and specifically to the mechanical damping of vibratory energy in the blades of rotor assemblies during operation. An improved frictional damper for a rotor blade is positioned inside a cavity in the airfoil section of the blade. The cavity includes an elongated, generally radially-extending opening that divides the airfoil into two sections and an elongated opening transverse to and intersecting the radial opening. A damper placed within the cavity frictionally engages the resulting sections of the airfoil, thereby reducing the vibratory stresses on the blade as a whole.