Lala you are Crab, no! hitting the Max Thrust the rotor can make is described well by NL, go and read that. Just because a rotor doesn't actually do what you think it does, doesn't change the point and its all been written now I think, there is no further clarification to make I think. Ctmax gives the max thrust the rotor can make. partially stalled blades just cause vibration and the loss is spread around the disk, the power required goes up. If you get catestrophic then I gues you will see blowback etc
dc/da
"The bit I struggle with logically is if there is an ultimate coning angle then the disc is self limiting." Yes effectively
"It can't pull any more lift." Correct
"The pilot can pull as much collective as they want." er NO how does that follow? 'Pulling' can be by pitch up as in pulling out of a dive. You probably can pull as hard as you want (stressful vibration) in terms of pitch rate but it won't do you any good in terms of extra g because you are already at Ctmax, just more energy washed off. You'll be at UCA
"So all that needs to be monitored is Nr as the most lift is at the ultimate cone and the highest Nr." Nr tells you wether you are using more energy from the rotor that you are supplying to it. Coning angle tells you how much of what the rotor can do it is doing.
"So why worry about the proximity of the ultimate coning angle?" dont worry about it just note that regardless of the RRPM when you hit the Ctmax that will happen at approximately the same CA regardless of RRPM, if your RRPM is drooping you are not supplying the rotor with the energy it needs so you have bigger problems (but you'll get to UCA)
Shytalk
"Surely, G loading on helicopters is mainly a result of flapping rather than coning, in any case? "
Not sure you mean that?
G loading is the ratio of Thrust Force to weight(at 1g). So it is about how much Thrust you make compared to your '1g-weight'. You make more thrust with either the Collective Lever OR the Cyclic Stick (by pitching nose up whilst at speed), or both, this increases Angles of Attack.
If you use only the lever you will probably reach the engine limits NOT the Thrust limit of the disk, so the RRPM will droop, before Ultimate Thrust is reached. ONCE the RRPM has drooped then the Max Thrust the rotor can make will be less, if you continue to that Max Thrust (whether high at high RRPM or low at low RRPM) the UCA will be reached, and it'll be about the same regardless of RRPM.
Coning is just a symptom of Thrust (TRT). It indicates how much thrust you are making as a proportion of your Cf (Nr), because CA=TRT/Cf
Maybe you are thinking about feathering rather than flapping?
let's try this , open question
if a Rotor can only make enough thrust to pull 3g when light, and it's 1g coning angle is 3degress, then what coning angle would it have at 3g ??
Everyone's answer
please