Analysis and Comparative Study on the Different Kinds and Number of Spokes of Rotors on Helicopters

For the Completion of the Physics Course in the Fourth Year Level

Submitted by: Enrico M. Bola Lemuel A. Carandang (L) Charlie Sheen D.C. Concepcion Curt Marvin B. Cruz Inna Felicia I. Agoncillo Rochelle Angelica Andasan Camille Angela S. Ayento Jeremi Elaijah M. Barretto 4th Year Matapat S.Y. 2010 2011

Submitted to: Ms. Jenny Rose Apuntar Physics Mentor

CHAPTER 1 The Problem and its Setting I. Introduction Our group has decided to focus on the study of rotors of a helicopter. We chose this topic because we want to know how helicopter rotors work by means of theoretical and mathematical basis. We also want to figure out the different functions of rotors in a helicopter. Lastly, we want to find out how helicopter rotors differ from other kinds of aircraft rotors. The history of rotors was researched and developed by Juan Dela Cierva. He became successful with his invention of fully articulated rotor systems and it is widely used today. Then came another inventor who tried and tested two bladed rotor system and it is now used in many remote control model helicopters. Several improvement made by Cierva was the system of hinging each blade to hub, to flap and adjust unequal lift forces bringing the aircraft sped into forward flight. There were also pioneers like the Autogiro who designed rotors for a safer landing of helicopters. Others have created different designs of rotor systems and they fell under three basic types: the articulated, the semi-rigid, and the rigid rotors (or a combination of these three types) II. Statement of the Problem This study will focus on the analysis and comparison of the different shapes and kinds of rotors on helicopters. Therefore, our group prepared the following questions to keep this research consistent, effective and functional. 1. What are the differences among the given kinds of helicopter rotors? 2. What is the relation of the rotor to the body being lifted and to the force exerted? 3. What would be the effect of the number of spokes on the flight of the helicopter? III. Hypothesis The inferences are as follows: 1. The given kinds of helicopter rotors differ on their effectiveness and capacities. They are of different blades, structure and movement.

2. Since all rotor systems require turning of the blades along their span-wise axis, owing to the action of the pilot's controls, probably the most effective would be the airfoil shape. 3. The larger the rotor, the easier for it to lift the body depending on the combination of all forces acting on it. (e.g. Normal force and Gravitational force) IV. Research Paradigm

V. Scope and Delimitation The study will cover mainly on the different kinds and number of spokes of rotors used on helicopters. Basically, a helicopter's main rotor or rotor system is a type of fan that is used to generate both the aerodynamic lift force that supports the weight of the helicopter and thrust which counteracts aerodynamic drag in forward flight. A helicopter rotor is generally made up of two or more rotor blades. Helicopter rotor diameters are also relatively large as this gives much better energy and propellant efficiency for the speeds at wqhich helicopters fly.

This study is related to equilibrium, momentum, aerodynamic lift force and impulse. This research will be configured by means of a toy plane and an improvised rotor system. This research does not cover the size of the plane. Rather, it would focus on the size of the rotor. The experiment will be conducted by using a toy plane with a constant weight to determine and have a comparative analysis regarding the effectiveness of rotors of different kinds. The study will not cover the kind of plane. A fixed plane would be used which is a toy helicopter for effective and efficient study. VI. Significance of the Study This research aims to help people realize how crucial or how lethal the number of rotor in a helicopter is. This study also aims to know the difference of having three or more rotors supporting the helicopter. This study would also inform the people especially the students how the design of a rotor could affect the flight of the helicopter. This will also serve as a source of information for those aspiring physicists since the movement of the rotors shows exactly how uniform circular motion and how the second condition of equilibrium works. This project also targets those aspiring Aircraft designers by helping them know how the number of rotors should be compatible to the design of the helicopter. VII. Definition of Related Terms Aerodynamics the branch of mechanics that deals with the motion of air and other gases and with the effects of such motion on bodies in the medium. Drive Shaft a mechanical component for transmitting torque and rotation Thrust a reaction force describe quantitatively by Newton's second and third laws. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a proportional but opposite force on that system Blade Pitch Refers to turning the angle of attack of the blades of a propeller or helicopter rotor into or out the wind to control the production or absorption of power. Swash Plate- a device that translates input via the helicopter flight controls into motion of the main rotor blades.

CHAPTER 2 Review of Related Literature Helicopters Most aircrafts can only fly forward, but can helicopters can fly backward and forward, as well as straight up or down they can even hover on one spot. Helicopters can do all of these because they both get lift and thrust from their spinning rotor blades. These have an airfoil shape and work rather like overhead propellers, screwing the helicopter through the air. Parts: Rotor Head Movable control rods in the rotor head allow the pilot to change the pitch (angle) of each blade as well as the tilt of the whole rotor unit. The rotor head is driven by the helicopter's engine. Rotor Blades The rotor blades are long, narrow airfoils. More curve above than below. The difference in air pressure above and below the spinning rotor blades creates lift. How Helicopters Fly Using the cycling pitch control, the pilot can alter the tilt of the main rotor unit to make the helicopter fly in different directions. Tilting the rotor unit forward, for example, makes the helicopter fly forward. Using the collective pitch control to change the pitch of the rotor blades varies the amount of lift the steeper the pitch, the greater the lift. Bibliography: Kingfisher Books, 1992. How Things Work; Planes, Gliders, Helicopter and Other Flying Machines p. 22-23. New York: Grisewood & Dempsey Inc.

More Rotors, More Speed The ability of a helicopter to hover and land almost anywhere makes it an enormously useful machine. But helicopters have their limitations, particularly when it comes to flying fast. In a recent series of test flights, a new type of chopper has begun smashing speed records.

The X2 is an experimental helicopter being developed by Sikorsky, an American company, at a test-flight centre in Florida. It recently flew at more than 430kph (267mph), according to a report in Spectrum, published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The present record is held by a souped-up Westland Lynx helicopter, which managed 400kph in 1986. But most helicopters cant fly at anything like these speeds and are typically flat out at 270kph.

To make an official attempt on the record, Sikorsky will need to have the flight monitored by the Fdration Aronautique Internationale, which compiles airspeed records. But that is unlikely to happen until the X2 is going even faster. Later this year, Sikorsky hopes it will be zipping along at more than 460kph. The company, however, is interested in more than just breaking speed records. It plans to use the technology developed for the X2 in commercial helicopters.

What limits the speed of a helicopter is the same thing that allows it to hoverthe air flowing over its spinning rotor blades. The rotor blades work like the wings of an aeroplane, with an aerofoil shape providing lift. But unlike an aircraft, when a helicopter is flying forwards the air passing over its rotor blades does so at different speeds. The air passing across the blade that is advancing to the front of the helicopter and into the oncoming air is going faster than the air passing over the blade that is retreating to the rear of the helicopter. And the faster the helicopter goes, the greater this difference. At 300kph, the air passing over the advancing blade could reach 1,100kph while that over the retreating blade would be about 500kph. This difference in lift can make it hard to maintain level flight. And to make matters worse for the pilot, as the tips of the rotor blades approach the speed of sound (around 1,200kph at lower altitude temperatures), shock waves produce huge vibrations.

The X2 gets around these problems in a number of ways. First, it uses two counter-rotating rotors that spin around the same axis, one positioned above the other. So in forward flight each

rotor can produce an equal amount of lift on each side, thus providing balance. The idea has been around for some time, but it proved difficult to make it work properly.

What has changed are technological advances in aircraft engineering and control systems. Now, vibrations can be reduced using active control, which involves placing sensors around the helicopter to detect the onset of vibration and then using force generators on various parts of the frame to vibrate in such a way that they cancel out the original tremors. Advanced computer modelling has also made it possible to design more efficient rotors. A pusher propeller has been fitted at the rear of the X2 to provide extra oomph. According to the engineers, this propeller can also be used to slow the helicopter snappily. And computerised fly-by-wire controls allow the X2 to be flown relatively easily.

Sikorsky reckons that future helicopters built using the X2 technology would be extremely versatile machines. They would dash to and from a medical emergency a lot faster. They would also be very agile in flight, which would increase their capabilities in combat. Sikorsky has already produced a simulator so that potential customers can experience what these fast helicopters will be like to fly. Plenty of whirlybird pilots will be keen to get their hands on the real thing. http://www.economist.com/node/16990748

CHAPTER 3 Methodology In this chapter, the group will show the procedures and materials that they will be using, in order to prove the stated theories and statements on the previous chapters. Materials/Set-up: In this experiment, the group will be using the following materials:

improvised helicopter toy (2, 3 and 6 spokes) meter stick a spool of thread weighing scale

Procedure: 1. Complete and construct the materials needed. 2. Weigh the different helicopters. Record the measurement. 3. Let the helicopter fly for every kind of propeller. 4. Measure the maximum thread length consumed for its height and its distance covered with the use of the meter stick 5. Repeat the procedure until all the samples are tried. 6. Record your results. Use the table below as record sheet.

Chapter 4 Data Analysis and Interpretation

The study focused on the three kinds of rotors. In ascending order, the rotors used are as follows: 2 spokes, 3 spokes and 6 spokes.

For the 2 spokes, the three trials came up with the following results:

Focusing on the height, the results gathered are quite accurate and precise. The first result was the most accurate. Arranging it in an ascending manner: trial 2, trial 1 and trial 3. The average height obtained is 1.15 m.

Focusing on the distance, the result obtained was 0.77 m. Focusing on the velocity, from trial 1 to trial 3, the results is in descending order giving the average of 0.77 m/s.

For the 3 spokes, the 3 trials came up with the following results

Focusing on the height, the results are quite far from each other. Based on the three trials, we have gathered 3.66 m, 2.04 m, and 1.73 m respectively which has the average of 1.5 m.

For the 6 spokes, the three trials came up with these results:

Focusing on the height, from the three trials, the least height obtained was from the third trial which is 2.06 m. The greatest height obtained was from the second trial which was 4.13 m. The average height obtained was 3.11 m.

Focusing on the distance, the least distance traveled was from trial 3 which is 2.66 m. The greatest distance traveled was from the second trial which was 4.32 m. The average distance traveled was 3.59 m.

Focusing on the Velocity, the least velocity obtained was from trial 1 which was 0.48 m/s. The greatest velocity obtained was from trial 3 which was 0.92 m/s. The average velocity obtained was 0.77 m/s.

Data and Results:

CHAPTER 5 Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation I. Summary The group obtained the following results by following the scientific process. The group was composed of Enrico Bola, Lemuel Carandang, Charlie Sheen Concepcion, Curt Marvin Cruz, Inna Felicia Agoncillo, Rochelle Angelica Andasan, Camille Angela Ayento, Jeremi Elaijah Barretto.. the study was all about the comparison between the different number of spokes, namely 2, 3, and 6. The materials used in the experiment are as follows: Meter Stick, Toy Plane and the spool of thread. The procedure of data gathering is as follows: 1. Prepare all the needed materials for the experiment. 2. Perform the experiment by using the helicopter and the other materials 3. Measure or collect the date needed eg. Height, Distance and Velocity. 4. Change the spoke of the helicopter from 2,3 and 6. 4. 5. Interpret the collected data and information. The group have recorded the following results arranged in ascending order (highest in height and in velocity).The result of the study is based on the interpretation done by the group. From the whole process of experimentation and interpretation, the group can now formulate their conclusions and recommendations based on the result and the interpretation of the study. II. Conclusion From the data that the group have gathered, it proves that the number of spokes of the rotor could greatly affect the flight of a helicopter. The greater the number of spokes, the less the height, distance and velocity obtained. This would mean that a flying machine containing more number of spokes could travel a longer distance. Therefore, we conclude that the effectiveness of the kind of rotor differ on the kind of rotor and the number of spokes it has. III. Recommendation Helicopters have been modes of transportation, not for public use, but usually for the military and hospitals. Helicopters have been used in various situations that involve great emergency because of their efficiency and speed. It would be more advantageous if its speed and

efficiency in carrying loads were maximized. Based on the results of the experiment conducted, the researchers recommend that designers of helicopters look into the design of the rotor and maybe consider adding spokes so that the efficiency of the helicopter can increase. If there will be others who would be interested to conduct this experiment, the researchers suggest that they shouldnt limit themselves to the number of spokes provided by this experiment. If there are available resources, those who wish to conduct this experiment may use other numbers of spokes to achieve more accurate results.