PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Why don't helicopters have published G limits?
Old 27th Mar 2011, 19:56
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Shawn Coyle
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Philadelphia PA
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I can only speak for the positive load limits, as there really is no justification for not having a G meter for the <1.0G stuff in teetering rotors.
The reason there is no G meter for the positive (>1.0G) stuff is that the helicopter has to be designed to meet pretty large G values (but these do not have to demonstrated in flight), and it's pretty much impossible to have a rotor system generate that amount of G for anything but the briefest possible instant.
The most G I've ever heard of a helicopter generating is 3.0 G, and that was after a most abrupt hydraulic actuator hardover in cruise flight. So, pretty much, you can't generate enough G load with manuevers in the pitch or roll plane to hurt a structure that's been properly designed. Yaw might be another matter, but we'd need sideslip instruments for that...
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