HELICOPTER FLIGHTBy Marco Ramos

ABSTRACT

• Since air travel is becoming much more common in present day, more people should be curious on how aerial vehicles fly. In this case, we are looking at the helicopter and what exactly causes it to lift off the ground, which is the air being pushed underneath it by the blades. The propellers are able to redirect the wind thanks to their shape. Making a miniature model, you can see how blades of a helicopter allow it to ascend and have a better understanding of the physics behind them.

GOALS

• Determine how circular motion aids a helicopter’s flight• Discover the science behind how the blades are made

MATERIALS• 2 dc motors• 12 V battery• Coat Hanger• Tin box

RESEARCH

• Read articles concerning helicopter blades and their rotation • Saw videos how to set up the helicopter

FORMULAS

• Angular velocity = dθ/dt• Force = m*a = m*r*ω^2• Gravity = 9.8 m/s^2• Linear velocity = ω*r

PROCESS

• First step was setting up the motors• Used the tin box to make the propellers (5cm x 1cm)• Give the propellers the shape to redirect air• Attached them to the motor using hot glue• Designed a base using tin box and the coat hanger

PROCESS

• Afterwards connect the proper wires to the positive and negative channels• Test the helicopter

CHALLENGE

• The base proved to be too heavy for the motors to lift• First solution was to make base lighter and smaller• Unfortunately still did not lift• Made new bigger porpellars (8cm x 1.5cm)

PROCESS

• The new propellers collided with each other when spinning, so a new base had to be built

• With the new body and propellers, the helicopter was able to hover

FURTHER CHALLENGES

• In order to provide morel lift, I used a car battery• Motors ended up burning out• New motors bought and previous battery was used

CONCLUSION

• In order for the helicopter to fly, the force from the propellers must be greater than the force of gravity. Unfortunately the force made by my propellers did not have enough force to lift the whole structure off very high off of the ground. It was able to hover and we were still able to observe how the blades were able to bend and direct the air flow beneath them to fly.

REFERENCES

• Homemade Helicopter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAAa_W5JHV4