Wed, Nov 05, 2003
CarterCopter Gang To Build NextGen Rotor/Prop System
It's not often that
we're pleased to hear that our government is getting ready to spend
a few more of our tax dollars... but this time, I think that we
tax-payers might actually get our money's worth.
Carter Aviation Technologies (Carter) has told ANN that it has
been awarded their first contract from the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The contract was awarded to
support Carter's development of their next generation propeller and
rotor. Design work for the new prop and rotor has been
initiated.
This next generation two bladed rotor is designed for higher Mu
flight. It will be 45 feet tip-to-tip with 50 sq. ft. of lifting
surface and weigh approximately 300 lbs. Of that weight, 110 lbs is
inertia weights located in 'leading edge triangular deltas' at the
rotor tips. The rotor could produce 12,000-lbs of lift at MSL on a
standard day. The ratio of the rotor's weight to an 8,000-lb
helicopter would be .0375, which is only 1/2 to 1/3 the rotor
weight of most helicopters. The inherent lightweight Carter rotor
design permits using a safety factor that is higher than that
normally found in helicopters.
Carter's new, scimitar,
8-foot diameter propeller should be able to absorb 600 hp as a
2-bladed version and 1200 hp as a 4-bladed version. The highly
swept blades will permit the use of higher tip speeds, higher
coefficients of lift and thicker, more structurally efficient
airfoils without getting into critical Mach. This propeller can be
optimized for better static and climb efficiencies without losing
any noticeable cruise efficiency up through 300 mph. Weight of the
2 bladed version including the pitch change mechanism is expected
to be less than 60 lbs.
The DARPA contract is a one-time agreement to gain a better
understanding of Carter's unique propeller and rotor technologies.
The $250,000 in funding will help Carter demonstrate these
technologies and gain more test data over a wider spectrum of
performance. Carter is pleased to have DARPA interest in their
rotor and propeller technologies. After more than four years of
flight-testing with the original prototype, Carter is committed to
moving forward with its next generation aircraft and conquering
high-Mu flight.
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