Single blade rotor - the physics.
They've been tried and shown to work, but no wider use has been forthcoming. The MBB 109 is as far as I know the only full size experimental. There have been loads of RC heli experiments:
(jump to 4:58 to see just how silent it seems to be).
But, just to satisfy my own curiosity, help me get some basic helicopter blade construction facts straight in conjunction with this design:
I would assume that a single blade (with a counterweight) would work much like a semi-rigid 2-blade would in lead/lag. Meaning, there wouldn't be any need for the blade to lead or lag as it would be "swallowed" by the opposing "blade" (as in the counterweight).
However, the blade would flap. Would this have to be compensated for by a hinge, or would this also be "swalloved", so to speak.
I'm trying to establish if there's a need for any hinges at all in a single blade system?
Thanks for your input.