Yes Lu, those mustering machines can be worked hard. But this is not the only cause of the wear in the hub and other parts of the helicopter. The red dust which is prevalent in most Aussie mustering locations also adds to wear. This dust, usually called ‘bulldust’, is as fine as talcum powder and gets into every nook and cranny of these machines. I suspect the wear you saw had its fair share of visible scoring. Its just a part of outback life.
Maybe Frank should manufacture a dedicated mustering machine. He could use the R44 engine/powertrain and rotors (with the hydraulics of course) in an R22 airframe.
LU agree,
In some cases even massive cracks in a blade do not manifest themselves in vibration.
About twelve years ago I found a crack on the underside of an R22 blade. The crack was about three and a half inches long and about 24 inches out from the spindle area.
It had started in a small dent caused by an ejected shell from an SLR. The dent had been there (according to the pilot) for eight months. Yet the pilot had not reported any increase in vibration.