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Another Look at 1930's Cyclogyro Plane Design

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the crashlo-burno dept.

trogador writes to mention that a group of researchers is taking another swing at the idea of a cyclogyro design for a UAV. Even though the cyclogyro design was invented in the 1930's there are no records of a successful flight. "Cyclogyros have the potential to be highly maneuverable flying robots due to their method of operation, making them potentially more suitable for complex tasks than helicopters and other micro air vehicles (MAVs) with less maneuverability. The biggest challenge in designing the cyclogyros is varying the angle of attack of the rotating wings. This ability would enable the plan to change altitude, hover, and fly in reverse. To achieve this quick angle variation, the researchers introduced an eccentric (rotational) point in addition to a rotational point connected to a motor."

4 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. Like a helicopter? by MobyDisk · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The biggest challenge in designing the cyclogyros is varying the angle of attack of the rotating wings. Don't helicopters have to do this too? I think it is one of the things that makes helicopters tough to manufacture. This would be cool to build, even if it wasn't a great design, just because it looks wacky.
    1. Re:Like a helicopter? by ericrost · · Score: 2, Interesting

      But wouldn't a cyclo-gyro not need the cyclic pitch? the variation is above and below the "wing" not side to side, so no balance issue? Honestly a question based on the 30k ft view.

      --
      My Babylon
  2. Flying through its own downwash = bad. by goodmanj · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So one of the reasons they try to keep airplanes separated in the sky is because of the downward flow of air they generate behind them. For every action there's an equal and opposite reaction: if the air is lifting the plane, the plane must push the air down. If one plane flies too close to another, the downwash can cause the trailing plane to crash.

    The wings of this thing generate a downwash at the top of the "paddle wheel" which flows down and strikes the wing at the bottom of the paddle wheel. Not one website discussing these planes mentions this. Maintaining control and lift in this situation sounds ... challenging.

    1. Re:Flying through its own downwash = bad. by DougWebb · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If a symmetrical object is moved through the air, there will be equal displacement on each side, and no lift will be generated. A wing is asymmetric, the air traveling underneath experiences little disturbance, the air displaced around the top becomes more spread out, spreading out a gas decreases the temperature and pressure, the differential pressure between lesser displaced air beneath the wing and the more displaced air above the wing generates lift. Again, the air beneath the wing tries to fill the void created above the wing.

      Please explain how a plane flies upside down, then. They can do so for extended periods of time.

      You might want to look at http://amasci.com/wing/airfoil.html/ for a hint.