Patent ID: 8272841

Claim:
A propeller blade assembly, comprising: a hub having a plurality of recesses; a plurality of propeller blades of composite construction, each propeller blade comprising an inboard end and a metal root member having a retaining cavity, the inboard end being secured in the retaining cavity, each metal root member being mounted within one of the plurality of hub recesses, the inboard end of each propeller blade comprising a non-circular section comprising two fiber bundles on opposite sides of the blade and spaced from one another by a central region, the retaining cavity in the root member comprising a non-circular section and tapering from a cross-section at the retaining cavity inboard end to a relatively small cross-section at the retaining cavity outboard end, and the two fiber bundles being flared outwardly away from one another in the retaining cavity and separated into at least two layers each; an insert member comprising a non-circular section, at least a portion of the insert member being located in each retaining cavity between the two fiber bundles in the central region; and a tapering, non-circular wedge member inserted between each layer of each fiber bundle such that the inboard end of each propeller blade expands outwardly on opposite sides of the insert member, filling the retaining cavity and providing a mechanical retention against removal of the blades in an outboard direction.