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A project log for EVPR: Electric Variable Pitch Rotor

An electrically actuated variable pitch rotor with a wireless interface

peter-mccloudPeter McCloud 04/13/2017 at 15:320 Comments

The design of the hub is progressing and the CAD is taking shape. Below is a closeup of the rotor hub.

The bearings will be made from acetal bushing stock cut to length. Typically, spherical ball bearings are used, but the loads for #Goliath - A Gas Powered Quadcopter are relatively low compared to full scale helicopter rotors and spherical bearings are pricey. A potential problem using the acetal could be a short life. In case that happens, a secondary design with spherical bearings is also being created as time allows.

Below is a screenshot of the secondary design. It's gives an idea of how the spherical bearings would replace the acetal bushing. The bearings would be embedded in the blade and pivot around the two bolts. It could be possible to keep the two design paths similar so that if a switch needs to be made, it should be a minimal disruption to the process.

The first batch of hardware should be here by the weekend, so the first prototype should start taking shape soon.

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