What helicopter has the most rotor blades?
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I have seen 2 rotor blades up to many and wonder when does having more rotor blades become less efficient? What helicopter has the most rotor blades?
Related: Why don't helicopters prefer shorter rotors with more blades?
aircraft-design aerodynamics helicopter propeller
asked 3 hours ago
MuzeMuze
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add a comment |
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I have seen 2 rotor blades up to many and wonder when does having more rotor blades become less efficient? What helicopter has the most rotor blades?
Related: Why don't helicopters prefer shorter rotors with more blades?
aircraft-design aerodynamics helicopter propeller
asked 3 hours ago
MuzeMuze
1085
New contributor
Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
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3
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If the blades are longer it has to spin slower to keep the tips from going supersonic. They are also heavier and harder to control
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– Ron Beyer
3 hours ago
1
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@RonBeyer do you think redundancy of having more blades could allow the helicopter to fly with damaged blades?
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– Muze
3 hours ago
3
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Unlikely. Chipped/mildly damaged blades can still fly, but once they fail structurally the entire rotor is unbalanced an no amount of extra blades is going to make it stabilize. It will shake itself apart as soon as it becomes unbalanced enough.
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– Ron Beyer
3 hours ago
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when does having more rotor blades become less efficient?-- any number more than one. The problem is if you need more lift then you need to use longer blades but if you cannot increase blade length due to structural issues and/or storage issues then you have no choice but to sacrifice efficiency for more lifting power. A single blade is ALWAYS the most efficient number of blades.
$endgroup$
– slebetman
2 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I have seen 2 rotor blades up to many and wonder when does having more rotor blades become less efficient? What helicopter has the most rotor blades?
Related: Why don't helicopters prefer shorter rotors with more blades?
aircraft-design aerodynamics helicopter propeller
asked 3 hours ago
MuzeMuze
1085
New contributor
Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
$endgroup$
I have seen 2 rotor blades up to many and wonder when does having more rotor blades become less efficient? What helicopter has the most rotor blades?
Related: Why don't helicopters prefer shorter rotors with more blades?
aircraft-design aerodynamics helicopter propeller
aircraft-design aerodynamics helicopter propeller
asked 3 hours ago
MuzeMuze
1085
New contributor
Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
MuzeMuze
1085
New contributor
Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 3 hours ago
Muze
asked 3 hours ago
MuzeMuze
1085
New contributor
Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
MuzeMuze
1085
asked 3 hours ago
MuzeMuze
1085
1085
New contributor
Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
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3
$begingroup$
If the blades are longer it has to spin slower to keep the tips from going supersonic. They are also heavier and harder to control
$endgroup$
– Ron Beyer
3 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
@RonBeyer do you think redundancy of having more blades could allow the helicopter to fly with damaged blades?
$endgroup$
– Muze
3 hours ago
3
$begingroup$
Unlikely. Chipped/mildly damaged blades can still fly, but once they fail structurally the entire rotor is unbalanced an no amount of extra blades is going to make it stabilize. It will shake itself apart as soon as it becomes unbalanced enough.
$endgroup$
– Ron Beyer
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
when does having more rotor blades become less efficient?-- any number more than one. The problem is if you need more lift then you need to use longer blades but if you cannot increase blade length due to structural issues and/or storage issues then you have no choice but to sacrifice efficiency for more lifting power. A single blade is ALWAYS the most efficient number of blades.
$endgroup$
– slebetman
2 mins ago
add a comment |
3
$begingroup$
If the blades are longer it has to spin slower to keep the tips from going supersonic. They are also heavier and harder to control
$endgroup$
– Ron Beyer
3 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
@RonBeyer do you think redundancy of having more blades could allow the helicopter to fly with damaged blades?
$endgroup$
– Muze
3 hours ago
3
$begingroup$
Unlikely. Chipped/mildly damaged blades can still fly, but once they fail structurally the entire rotor is unbalanced an no amount of extra blades is going to make it stabilize. It will shake itself apart as soon as it becomes unbalanced enough.
$endgroup$
– Ron Beyer
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
when does having more rotor blades become less efficient?-- any number more than one. The problem is if you need more lift then you need to use longer blades but if you cannot increase blade length due to structural issues and/or storage issues then you have no choice but to sacrifice efficiency for more lifting power. A single blade is ALWAYS the most efficient number of blades.
$endgroup$
– slebetman
2 mins ago
3
3
$begingroup$
If the blades are longer it has to spin slower to keep the tips from going supersonic. They are also heavier and harder to control
$endgroup$
– Ron Beyer
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
If the blades are longer it has to spin slower to keep the tips from going supersonic. They are also heavier and harder to control
$endgroup$
– Ron Beyer
3 hours ago
1
1
$begingroup$
@RonBeyer do you think redundancy of having more blades could allow the helicopter to fly with damaged blades?
$endgroup$
– Muze
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
@RonBeyer do you think redundancy of having more blades could allow the helicopter to fly with damaged blades?
$endgroup$
– Muze
3 hours ago
3
3
$begingroup$
Unlikely. Chipped/mildly damaged blades can still fly, but once they fail structurally the entire rotor is unbalanced an no amount of extra blades is going to make it stabilize. It will shake itself apart as soon as it becomes unbalanced enough.
$endgroup$
– Ron Beyer
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
Unlikely. Chipped/mildly damaged blades can still fly, but once they fail structurally the entire rotor is unbalanced an no amount of extra blades is going to make it stabilize. It will shake itself apart as soon as it becomes unbalanced enough.
$endgroup$
– Ron Beyer
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
when does having more rotor blades become less efficient? -- any number more than one. The problem is if you need more lift then you need to use longer blades but if you cannot increase blade length due to structural issues and/or storage issues then you have no choice but to sacrifice efficiency for more lifting power. A single blade is ALWAYS the most efficient number of blades.$endgroup$
– slebetman
2 mins ago
$begingroup$
when does having more rotor blades become less efficient? -- any number more than one. The problem is if you need more lift then you need to use longer blades but if you cannot increase blade length due to structural issues and/or storage issues then you have no choice but to sacrifice efficiency for more lifting power. A single blade is ALWAYS the most efficient number of blades.$endgroup$
– slebetman
2 mins ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
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The most I've seen are 8 Mi-26. But the highest theoretical lifting efficiency is achieved with the fewest blades and experiments have been done with single blade rotors (with a counterweight - there were vibration problems that couldn't be resolved).
So in practical terms, the most lift for the least power is achieved with a 2 blade rotor, but the need to absorb more power with a limited desirable disc diameter forces you to add more blades (or you may want a smaller rotor with lots of blades for maneuverability or other reasons, but it's sub-optimal from a horsepower efficiency standpoint).
Put another way, a helicopter like the Mi-26 could probably achieve a fair bit more lifting power for its installed horsepower with a 2 blade rotor, but each blade would seemingly extend off into the next township.
answered 1 hour ago
John KJohn K
26k13880
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$begingroup$
The most I've seen are 8 Mi-26. But the highest theoretical lifting efficiency is achieved with the fewest blades and experiments have been done with single blade rotors (with a counterweight - there were vibration problems that couldn't be resolved).
So in practical terms, the most lift for the least power is achieved with a 2 blade rotor, but the need to absorb more power with a limited desirable disc diameter forces you to add more blades (or you may want a smaller rotor with lots of blades for maneuverability or other reasons, but it's sub-optimal from a horsepower efficiency standpoint).
Put another way, a helicopter like the Mi-26 could probably achieve a fair bit more lifting power for its installed horsepower with a 2 blade rotor, but each blade would seemingly extend off into the next township.
answered 1 hour ago
John KJohn K
26k13880
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The most I've seen are 8 Mi-26. But the highest theoretical lifting efficiency is achieved with the fewest blades and experiments have been done with single blade rotors (with a counterweight - there were vibration problems that couldn't be resolved).
So in practical terms, the most lift for the least power is achieved with a 2 blade rotor, but the need to absorb more power with a limited desirable disc diameter forces you to add more blades (or you may want a smaller rotor with lots of blades for maneuverability or other reasons, but it's sub-optimal from a horsepower efficiency standpoint).
Put another way, a helicopter like the Mi-26 could probably achieve a fair bit more lifting power for its installed horsepower with a 2 blade rotor, but each blade would seemingly extend off into the next township.
answered 1 hour ago
John KJohn K
26k13880
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The most I've seen are 8 Mi-26. But the highest theoretical lifting efficiency is achieved with the fewest blades and experiments have been done with single blade rotors (with a counterweight - there were vibration problems that couldn't be resolved).
So in practical terms, the most lift for the least power is achieved with a 2 blade rotor, but the need to absorb more power with a limited desirable disc diameter forces you to add more blades (or you may want a smaller rotor with lots of blades for maneuverability or other reasons, but it's sub-optimal from a horsepower efficiency standpoint).
Put another way, a helicopter like the Mi-26 could probably achieve a fair bit more lifting power for its installed horsepower with a 2 blade rotor, but each blade would seemingly extend off into the next township.
answered 1 hour ago
John KJohn K
26k13880
$endgroup$
The most I've seen are 8 Mi-26. But the highest theoretical lifting efficiency is achieved with the fewest blades and experiments have been done with single blade rotors (with a counterweight - there were vibration problems that couldn't be resolved).
So in practical terms, the most lift for the least power is achieved with a 2 blade rotor, but the need to absorb more power with a limited desirable disc diameter forces you to add more blades (or you may want a smaller rotor with lots of blades for maneuverability or other reasons, but it's sub-optimal from a horsepower efficiency standpoint).
Put another way, a helicopter like the Mi-26 could probably achieve a fair bit more lifting power for its installed horsepower with a 2 blade rotor, but each blade would seemingly extend off into the next township.
answered 1 hour ago
John KJohn K
26k13880
answered 1 hour ago
John KJohn K
26k13880
answered 1 hour ago
John KJohn K
26k13880
answered 1 hour ago
John KJohn K
26k13880
26k13880
add a comment |
add a comment |
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3
$begingroup$
If the blades are longer it has to spin slower to keep the tips from going supersonic. They are also heavier and harder to control
$endgroup$
– Ron Beyer
3 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
@RonBeyer do you think redundancy of having more blades could allow the helicopter to fly with damaged blades?
$endgroup$
– Muze
3 hours ago
3
$begingroup$
Unlikely. Chipped/mildly damaged blades can still fly, but once they fail structurally the entire rotor is unbalanced an no amount of extra blades is going to make it stabilize. It will shake itself apart as soon as it becomes unbalanced enough.
$endgroup$
– Ron Beyer
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
when does having more rotor blades become less efficient?-- any number more than one. The problem is if you need more lift then you need to use longer blades but if you cannot increase blade length due to structural issues and/or storage issues then you have no choice but to sacrifice efficiency for more lifting power. A single blade is ALWAYS the most efficient number of blades.$endgroup$
– slebetman
2 mins ago