Lecture on Helicopter Design

AMT 214 (Helicopter)

AAMT 2-6

1. Co Axial Rotor - or corotors are a pair of helicopter rotors mounted one above the other
on concentric shafts, with the same axis of rotation, but turning in opposite directions
(contra-rotation). This configuration is a feature of helicopters produced by
the Russian Kamov helicopter design bureau.

2. Drive fork - A forklift truck (also called a lift truck, a fork truck, or a forklift) is a
powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials short distances. The forklift
was developed in the early 20th century by various companies including the
transmission manufacturing company Clark and the hoist company Yale & Towne
Manufacturing. Following World War II the use and development of the forklift truck
has greatly expanded worldwide. Forklifts have become an indispensable piece of
equipment in manufacturing and warehousing operations.

3. Feathering - The axis about which the pitch angle of a rotor blade is varied.

4. Magnetic brake - trim systems, which provide a cyclic centering effect. These systems
typically involve a magnetic brake/spring device, and may also be controlled by a four-way
switch on the cyclic. This is a system that supports “hands on” flying of the helicopter by the
pilot.

5. Flapping hinge - The hinge with its axis parallel to the rotor plane of rotation.
The flapping hinge permits the rotor blades to flap up or down to equalize the
lift, or rotor thrust, between the advancing-blade half and the retreating-blade
half of the rotor disk.
6. Ground effect - ground effect is the increased lift and decreased drag that an
aircraft's wings generate when they are close to a fixed surface. When landing,
ground effect can give the pilot the feeling that the aircraft is "floating". When taking
off, ground effect may temporarily reduce the stall speed. The pilot can then fly
level just above the runway while the aircraft accelerates in ground effect until a
safe climb speed is reached.

7. Lead Lag hinge - Coriolis force tends to make a rotor blade want to speed up and slow down it's rotation around
the mast. If the blade is rigidly attached to the mast but isn't strong enough, it could develop stresses large enough
to break the blade. This is exactly what happened to Juan de l'Cierva's early rotor systems. His solution was a lead
lag hinge.A lead lag hinge simply is a hinge which allows the blade to pivot slightly forward and backward.

8. Pedal creep - The pedal used to control the pitch of the tail rotor. Sometimes called the rudder pedal.

9. Swash plate - A swash plate is a device used in mechanical engineering to translate the
motion of a rotating shaft into reciprocating motion, or to translate a reciprocating motion
into a rotating one to replace the crankshaft in engine designs.

10. Twist grip - A twist grip is a handle that can be twisted to operate a control. It is commonly found as
a motorcycle's right handlebar grip to control the throttle, but it sometimes found elsewhere, such as on
a bicycle as a gearshift, and in helicopters.

11. Tail rotor - The tail rotor is a smaller rotor mounted so that it rotates vertically or near-vertically at the end of the
tail of a traditional single-rotor helicopter. The tail rotor's position and distance from the center of gravity allow it to
develop thrust in the same direction as the main rotor's rotation, to counter the torque effect created by the main
rotor. Tail rotors are simpler than main rotors since they require only collective changes in pitch to vary thrust. The
pitch of the tail rotor blades is adjustable by the pilot via the anti-torque pedals, which also provide directional
control by allowing the pilot to rotate the helicopter around its vertical axis.

12. Tail gear box - The major components of a helicopter are the airframe, fuselage, landing gear, power
plant, transmission, main rotor system, and tail rotor system. The rotor system is the rotating part of
a helicopter which generates lift. The rotor consists of a mast, hub, and rotor blades.