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Carter Copter Breaks Mu-1 Barrier

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the thwop-thwop-thwop-chunk-chunk-chunk dept.

tyler_larson writes "Just over a week ago, Jay Carter's CarterCopter managed to break a significant rotorcraft barrier, traveling at a mu ratio of 1. This 1-to-1 ratio (sometimes called the mu-1 barrier) represents a condition where the forward speed of the craft is the same as the speed of the tip of the rotor. This means that at a certain point, the tip of the retreating blade is "standing still" relative to the wind and producing no lift, while the rest of the blade is actually moving backwards through the air. Such a condition is normally impossible for a rotorcraft, and so the forward speed of a helicopter is limited by the the speed of the rotors. This accomplishment by the CarterCopter, which some insisted couldn't be done, proves that this new craft is not subject to that limitation."

3 of 368 comments (clear)

  1. Heli-plane? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Hmmm, it looks lie it blurs the line between a helicopter and an airplane. That thing has pretty darn large wings. I guess the big deal is really having the rotors not "get in the way" traveling at that speed, since the wings really are providing most if not all the lift? What happened to those experimental copters that you could actually just shut down the rotors and have them be fixed during forward flight?

  2. Re:Its a bird, its a plane, its a helicopter... by CvD · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm curious: how does it work in regular helicopters anyways? The left side will always have more lift than the right side during forward flight (assuming clockwise rotation). How is this compensated for? I would imagine it slanting/leaning to one side if it wasn't compensated.

    --
    The Official Steve Ballmer Webpage
  3. Re:mu and swimmers by Fringex · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Swimmer here.

    This doesn't really apply as one poaster pointed out that simply gliding through the water will allow you to have your hand exit where it entered. Infact you can have it exit beyond where it entered with simple glide. The problem is you slow down.

    Hard to say if it the slow down is avoidable but I am sure through some testing you can find out. Depends what application you are putting it in. Sprinting will never be the case since that is a mroe chaotic means of racing but distance swimmers might have more luck with this.

    As for kicking it does supply power, more than you would like to think. If kicking supplied next to no power you wouldn't see swimmers kicking as often as they do. A slight kick keeps your feet aloft. Rapid kicking actgually gives you fair forward propulsion.

    The best example I can give you is to try and find the video of Jeff Rouse in the 1996 Olympics. At the flip turn his dolphin kick alone allowed him to increase is lead by over a body length and a half if I remember correctly. He was the last one to surface but increased his lead massively.

    Kicking alone can be impressive especially underwater. In texas they had a rule that you had to surface before the second set of flags. I watched a couple guys from a competing team nearly get DQ'd because of them kicking 3/4's the length of the pool. They also won mind you.