How Can I Calculate Lift for a Human-Powered Helicopter?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating lift for a human-powered helicopter, focusing on the design specifics such as rotor configuration, blade materials, and dimensions. Participants seek equations and general information relevant to the lift generated by the rotors in this experimental context.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • The original poster (OP) describes their project involving four counter-rotating rotors with three blades each, made of foam and aluminum ribbing, measuring six feet in length, and requests an equation for lift calculation.
  • One participant suggests that knowledge of the airfoil profile is necessary to estimate expected lift and provides a link to a Wikipedia page on lift.
  • Another participant expresses concern that the airfoil's motion through the air alters air pressure in ways that are not well documented, indicating a gap in available information.
  • A different participant advises researching previous human-powered helicopter projects to learn from their successes and failures, providing links to relevant resources and noting terminology differences in the field.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the specific equation for calculating lift, and multiple viewpoints regarding the necessary information and terminology are presented. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approach to calculate lift.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the need for specific airfoil data and express uncertainty about the effects of rotor motion on air pressure, indicating potential limitations in the available information for accurate lift calculations.

Flabbyflab
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Hello!

I am creating, or at least attempting to create, a human-powered helicopter. I need an equation to figure out the lift from the rotors. I plan to use four counter-rotating rotors, three blades each, and each blade made of foam, with aluminum ribbing. The blades will be six feet each. Any other general information that might help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
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Flabbyflab said:
Hello!

I am creating, or at least attempting to create, a human-powered helicopter. I need an equation to figure out the lift from the rotors. I plan to use four counter-rotating rotors, three blades each, and each blade made of foam, with aluminum ribbing. The blades will be six feet each. Any other general information that might help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

You're going to need to know the airfoil profile to calculate an estimate of the expected lift:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lift_(force )
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The problem is that the "airfoil's " of a helicopter aka the propellor blades' motion through the air actually changes the air pressure by an amount not described anywhere that I can personally find on the internet, yet.

I have the same question as the OP.
 
Whenever I find someone trying to design and test an experimental system I immediately search for examples of others who have already worked on the same type of system. By studying their work and results the repetition of many of their trials and errors can be avoided. And the successful schemes they discovered may be adopted to your new project. In case you have not yet done so please see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human-powered_helicopter

“The current world record for human-powered helicopters is held by a craft named Yuri I, built by a team from the Nihon Aero Student Group (NASG).”

http://www.humanpoweredhelicopters.org/yuri1/index.htm

afterthought: By the way, in the helicopter world they are not called "propeller blades". The accepted term is "rotary wing".
 
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