Adam, i'll do my best to help..
1. The more blades a rotor will have, the easier it must have to stabilize itself in the case of a malfuncioning blade, I assume...
Actually, i was taught by a guy who worked at Rolls in the pioneering days of gas turbines (Bill Brownhill). One of his colleagues was debating that if you spring isolate ANY rotating assy below the rotational frequency, then no out of balance vibration is transmitted. To prove his point, and develop the optimum damping system (friction was considered), he built what to me was an incredible model. The model was spun up, a button was pressed and a mass representing a blade was shed. Sure enough if critical damping was set up the model sat there, easy as you please, running out of balance!
In principle a subframe mounting system allowing low pass isolation of lateral and longitudinal vibrations, but tranferring roll pitch torques, could be developed using ball joint links, springs and dampers. In practice there would be a mass penalty, with consequential reduction in payload. For the high number multiblade solution you are proposing, all mounting points would have to be strengthened to take out of balance loads for as long as it took pilot to safely land and shutdown. It is best to design the blades not to fail.
2. Does a multiple blade rotor (3 or upwards) of the same diameter as a 2-blade rotor produce more lift?...
No, assuming the same hover power. Lift for a given power requirement is a funtion of disk loading, hence for a given weight a function of disk radius. More blades or wider chord blades will increase the solidity ratio, which is fraction of rotor occupied by blade. An increased solidity ratio will reduce each blade angle of attack for same total lift. Angle of attack is best off as high as possible for the best "figure of merit" measure of rotor system efficiency.
In practice, solidity ratio is usually chosen to give machine a good manouvering margin and high speed performance. At speed retreating blade will already be running a high AOA, so compromising hover figure of merit will allow higher speed flight before retreating blade stall.
Also - thanks Mr. Lappos for answering my questions...
Must admit i also owe a great deal to Nick for helping my understanding of rotorcraft. Theory is one thing, but in the disagreement of theory and facts it is better to respect the facts...
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Dave, agreed Reynolds number is important when optimising the blade profile for a given size, Nr, and flight regime. Detailed aerodynamic interaction of tip votices acting on following blades is also an optimisation. The point is that at the design stage there is no real reason to consider any particular number of blades, other than for reasons of rotor dynamics and rotor system cost.
Mart