Thursday, October 11, 2007
Helicopter Blade Technology - Variable Length Rotor - Video - Breakthrough Awards - Popular Mechanics
Helicopter Blade Technology - Variable Length Rotor - Video - Breakthrough Awards - Popular Mechanics
Helicopter performance depends on the length of the rotor blades. For heavy lifting, a large rotor works best, but short blades reduce drag and ultimately allow for higher maximum speeds. Farhan Gandhi, a Penn State University professor of aerospace engineering, has devised an elegant, simple way to achieve both configurations in the same aircraft, using the same rotor.
A rotor blade that changes length has been a long-contemplated, never-achieved goal. “You en-counter huge centrifugal forces, requiring large actuators to pull the rotors in,” says Leo Dadone, a Boeing senior technical fellow in rotorcraft tech-nology. “They tend to jam because of the extreme friction created.”
Helicopter performance depends on the length of the rotor blades. For heavy lifting, a large rotor works best, but short blades reduce drag and ultimately allow for higher maximum speeds. Farhan Gandhi, a Penn State University professor of aerospace engineering, has devised an elegant, simple way to achieve both configurations in the same aircraft, using the same rotor.
A rotor blade that changes length has been a long-contemplated, never-achieved goal. “You en-counter huge centrifugal forces, requiring large actuators to pull the rotors in,” says Leo Dadone, a Boeing senior technical fellow in rotorcraft tech-nology. “They tend to jam because of the extreme friction created.”
# posted by Jain's on Road Trip @ 8:14 PM 
