Helicopter with Hydraulic Transmission
Using hydraulic transmission to drive a helicopter is a good
idea, when we use one-rotor design or use a many-rotors design.
One type of the Hydraulic
Motors, applicable to driving rotors of a Helicopter, reminds a car motor, with
pistons moved by the fluid pressure produced by a pump and passed through
Hydraulic Transmission. The other type is a hydraulic turbine, which could
achieve high speed of rotation. Helicopters do not need high speed of rotation
of their rotors, but motors should be reliable, and, if possible, quiet.
Hydraulic Motors deliver that.
Speed of rotation of a
Hydraulic Motor is controlled by controlling speed of fluid passing through it.
It could be reduced by diverting some fluid of the Hydraulic Transmission to
other devices or by reducing speed of pumping of transmission’s fluid by the Engine.
The Engine and the Pump
pumping hydraulic fluid could be placed practically in any place in Helicopter,
which is convenient.
With Hydraulic
Transmission, using multiple rotors is about the same as having one rotor.
Speed of rotors’ rotation is controlled by valves controlling speed of transmission
fluid through the motors.
Having two rotors with
synchronized rotation as in a heavy lift helicopter, would require mechanical
synchronization of their motors, which should reduce efficiency.
When rotors are
attached to the cabin with some supporting structure, this structure could be
light, because motors of rotors are fed through the hydraulic transmission.
It is easy to add a
compressor, when there is hydraulic transmission in place. With it, it is easy
to add four “legs” to the body of the Helicopter, with some associated support
structure. Each leg should have a pneumatic cylinder, which cushions landing.
When a Helicopter is
not powered and dissents, its rotor rotates automatically and this slows down
dissent. This is a useful safety feature. It could be easily reproduced in case
of the Hydraulic Transmission.
A controllable “shunt”
could be introduced in the transmission, which allows hydraulic fluid bypassing
of the Pump(s) of Hydraulic Transmission. When Pumps are not working and it is
open, the rotor operates as a pump and moves hydraulic fluid (in opposite
direction).
Alexander Liss 7/29/2019