Rotor Rooter
11-18-2007, 09:23 AM
Musing outside of the box;
Consider a rotorcraft with a single 2-blade rotor that is driven by a propeller on each of the blades. Then increase the diameter of the propellers, slowdown their RRPM, and pitch them upward slight. In addition, slightly reduce the span of the blades on the single rotor.
The propellers are now providing a small portion of the lift, without having to go through the inefficient transmission of power aerodynamically from the propellers to the rotor blades. Then continue repeating step 2. until the original rotor is simply a spar that is connecting two large propellers (now rotors) to the fuselage.
The end result is a Side-by-side rotorcraft with its inherently better efficiency for the same total disk area.
Dave
Consider a rotorcraft with a single 2-blade rotor that is driven by a propeller on each of the blades. Then increase the diameter of the propellers, slowdown their RRPM, and pitch them upward slight. In addition, slightly reduce the span of the blades on the single rotor.
The propellers are now providing a small portion of the lift, without having to go through the inefficient transmission of power aerodynamically from the propellers to the rotor blades. Then continue repeating step 2. until the original rotor is simply a spar that is connecting two large propellers (now rotors) to the fuselage.
The end result is a Side-by-side rotorcraft with its inherently better efficiency for the same total disk area.
Dave