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The Art of the Helicopter John Watkinson - Karatunov.net

The Art of the Helicopter John Watkinson - Karatunov.net

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Introduction to helicopter dynamics 71<br />

Fig. 3.8 (a) When <strong>the</strong> blade pitch is increased, parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> blade are brought closer to <strong>the</strong> axis <strong>of</strong> rotation. <strong>The</strong><br />

blades will tend to be thrown to flat pitch when <strong>the</strong> rotor is turning. (b) So-called Chinese weights are mounted<br />

so that <strong>the</strong>y oppose <strong>the</strong> effect <strong>of</strong> (a) by moving away from <strong>the</strong> axis <strong>of</strong> rotation as pitch is increased.<br />

down <strong>the</strong> rotor. Ano<strong>the</strong>r possibility is for <strong>the</strong> rotor head to incorporate centrifugal<br />

weights that only apply an upload to <strong>the</strong> collective when <strong>the</strong> rotor is turning.<br />

3.7Rotor coning<br />

Anyone who has examined a parked helicopter will immediately notice how droopy<br />

<strong>the</strong> blades are. A considerable deflection can be obtained by lifting <strong>the</strong> tip with one<br />

finger. How, <strong>the</strong>n, can <strong>the</strong> blades lift <strong>the</strong> weight <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> helicopter? <strong>The</strong> answer is that <strong>the</strong><br />

rapid rotation in conjunction with <strong>the</strong> mass <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> blades causes <strong>the</strong>m to be pulled out<br />

straight; a phenomenon called centrifugal stiffening. Rotating blades are not in static<br />

equilibrium and <strong>the</strong>y must be made to accelerate towards <strong>the</strong> shaft if <strong>the</strong>y are to follow<br />

a circular path, and this requires a considerable inward or centripetal force, which will<br />

always be an order <strong>of</strong> magnitude more than <strong>the</strong> weight <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> helicopter.<br />

Figure 3.9(a) shows that if <strong>the</strong> blade bends upwards, <strong>the</strong> downward component <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> centripetal force will balance <strong>the</strong> lift at some coning angle, and <strong>the</strong> resultant will be<br />

a horizontal force only so no fur<strong>the</strong>r bending takes place. <strong>The</strong> reaction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> blades<br />

at <strong>the</strong> rotor head is shown in Figure 3.9(b). <strong>The</strong> force from <strong>the</strong> coning blade has an<br />

upward component, which is <strong>the</strong> lift, and an outward component due to <strong>the</strong> rotation.<br />

In <strong>the</strong> hover, if <strong>the</strong> blades are properly balanced and all have <strong>the</strong> same coning angle,<br />

<strong>the</strong> horizontal forces cancel in <strong>the</strong> rotor head and only lift results. Adjusting all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

blades to <strong>the</strong> same angle is achieved using <strong>the</strong> process <strong>of</strong> tracking which ensures that<br />

<strong>the</strong> collective control applies exactly <strong>the</strong> same pitch to each blade. Clearly, if <strong>the</strong> blades

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