Intermeshing rotors
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Intermeshing rotors on a helicopter are a set of two rotors turning in opposite directions, with each rotor mast mounted on the helicopter with a slight angle to the other, in a transversely symmetrical manner, so that the blades intermesh without colliding. The arrangement allows the helicopter to function without the need for a tail rotor. This configuration is sometimes referred to as a synchropter.
The arrangement was developed in Germany by Anton Flettner for a small anti-submarine warfare helicopter, the Flettner Fl 265 and later the Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri.[1] During the Cold War the American Kaman Aircraft company produced the HH-43 Huskie, for USAF firefighting purposes. One example of the Kaman K-225 experimental synchropter was fitted with a small turboshaft engine in late 1951, becoming the world's first gas turbine powered helicopter of any type. Intermeshing rotored helicopters have high stability and powerful lifting capability. The latest Kaman K-MAX model is a dedicated sky crane design used for construction work.
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[edit] References
- ^ Day & McNeil; Lance Day, Ian McNeil (1998). Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology. Taylor & Francis. p. 261. ISBN 0415193990. http://books.google.com/books?id=qNp3JM35UMoC&pg=PA261&dq=%22Intermeshing+rotors%22+%22Anton+Flettner%22&hl=en&ei=kwrcTKnWBsb_lgeh7-z3CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Intermeshing%20rotors%22%20%22Anton%20Flettner%22&f=false.
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