Ask an aircraft mechanic....

[Evil Pink One 12,944]

Hahaha who knows... Someone might need help on this kinda thing here...

[Quinch 1,119]

How do you feel about aircraft ponies?

[SharpWit 2,472]

Hi, I was a part of this roleplay back in 2014-15 where we played as world leaders in the MLP universe, and I probably went a little overboard in that I'd design my own vehicles and weapons for my military to use. One of these was an airship, a Zeppelin, and I wanted to make them more durable, so I made a design with engines intended to be able to survive a cannonball going through them. I had a French teacher at the time whose husband worked at Boeing, I don't remember what his exact position/title was put she passed the idea along to him and he did the math and everything for a propeller with long blades that were flexible enough to essentially allow a cannonball to not be able to transfer all of its kinetic energy into the blade and instead push it back somewhat and roll by. It was awesome that he put the time in to do it, but it wasn't at all what I had in mind.

I was picturing a sort of propeller that's inside out? Rather than spin on a center axis point, the blades would spin on the inside of a ring and have a rifled pattern inside of, say a 1x2 cylinder, thus leaving an empty space in the center and allowing debris to either be sucked right through or funneled out the back without hitting anything critical. I haven't really accounted for the material the blades would be made out of or their weight since the engines on an airship aren't what generates lift, but I'd like to see something like this also applied for airplanes. Perhaps not for cannon balls, but birds to say the least.

This probably isn't what you meant for the topic, but I'd like to know if you think this concept could work? 

[DubWolf 16,573]

2 hours ago, SharpWit said:

Hi, I was a part of this roleplay back in 2014-15 where we played as world leaders in the MLP universe, and I probably went a little overboard in that I'd design my own vehicles and weapons for my military to use. One of these was an airship, a Zeppelin, and I wanted to make them more durable, so I made a design with engines intended to be able to survive a cannonball going through them. I had a French teacher at the time whose husband worked at Boeing, I don't remember what his exact position/title was put she passed the idea along to him and he did the math and everything for a propeller with long blades that were flexible enough to essentially allow a cannonball to not be able to transfer all of its kinetic energy into the blade and instead push it back somewhat and roll by. It was awesome that he put the time in to do it, but it wasn't at all what I had in mind.

I was picturing a sort of propeller that's inside out? Rather than spin on a center axis point, the blades would spin on the inside of a ring and have a rifled pattern inside of, say a 1x2 cylinder, thus leaving an empty space in the center and allowing debris to either be sucked right through or funneled out the back without hitting anything critical. I haven't really accounted for the material the blades would be made out of or their weight since the engines on an airship aren't what generates lift, but I'd like to see something like this also applied for airplanes. Perhaps not for cannon balls, but birds to say the least.

This probably isn't what you meant for the topic, but I'd like to know if you think this concept could work? 

We sort of already have that in the form of a fan which produces thrust solely on its rotation (and not the expansion, firing of gases), except you still have the inside core of the jet with all the expensive moving parts. Maybe with electric motors on the outside you could get away with not having a turbojet in the center? I answered the easy question, not sure about the harder part (having a funnel of air and what to do with the turbine). You'd still need some intake for the turbine to work.

[Evil Pink One 12,944]

The problem is its still gonna hit your blades even if its hollow on the inside....because the blades are the one that pulls the air and pushes it out at the exhaust. And the center is just gonna make turbulence...which is bad, i suggest make the zephylin (kirov reporting) fly higher. to avoid damage..... And zephylin is ...not practical, thats why its not used much anymore? And thats gonna be very heavy, the engine. I suggest you check the trent 900 powerplant. Its not hollow but somewhat hollow? The center serves as a big ass gearbox and a pump, and airconditioning..oh and afterburners. FYI 1 blade of this engine is worth 1 Ferrari. And theres like 20 ish of it.. forgot, its been long since ive worked on the engine. Im focused now on flight controls.

[SharpWit 2,472]

@Kujamih The blades are supposed to be considerably stronger and shaped as such that they'd be shrugging off whatever hits them and send it flying out the back before it could do any considerably damage by lessening the impact and not having anything get stuck inside. Something hard enough could maybe bend a blade but unless the object were going to plough through the wing already, nothing would explode and catch fire.

The roleplay was limited to technology starting in the 1870's or thereabouts, and we could advance to about 1950 under certain conditions, but I saw it possibly have an application further on since I've never seen anything close too it.

I'll check those out!

[Evil Pink One 12,944]

  @SharpWit

About the blade requiring to bend and what not.. they dont bend "BEND"...but they do stretch, torque and bend "stress".. because even if the blade survives the hit the 18 chambers inside stator veins and guide veins are good as dead. Thats why we have 4 engines and an apu and a RAT. and if all is lost, it can still glide...and pray. So thats about the future engines,

the old engines on the other hand...if you make it stronger.itll be heavier. and your enemy there will be the vibration that hits the propeller, yes the propeller survives the hit but what about the parts that hold it? More moving parts the more it easily breaks, if you just know how deadly an airplane is...eesh, its scary.. even for me. Thats why its always maintained.

Wait did i answer that properly?

 

Oh and weight and balance, if the blade gets hit, no matter how strong it is itll still get a dent, changing its weight disturbing somethin something and changing the balance, creating vibration..... Aircraft + vibration bad..... 

Edited March 12, 2020 by Kujamih
Forgit to add weight and balance

[I used to be a stranger 7,988]

Is it true that all turbine fan blades are made of inconel?

[Evil Pink One 12,944]

This is the first i heard about inconel...but give me a sec

[Evil Pink One 12,944]

....  What i know now is, they're applying carbon now, but yeah it is used, on the high pressured area.but the fans that you see on the outside the big one... I think not because those blades are hollow so that air comes in to cool them. Truth is i think they wont tell us the whole truth on what materials they used on it. Im a mechanic, if that items break we replace ALL of it we dont repair it anymore(weight and balance). 

[Lucky Bolt 34,914]

Wait...you're an aircraft mechanic?  

[Evil Pink One 12,944]

I break ...fix planes.... Wait actually we break them.... Too si if its broken then we fix them....

Edited March 24, 2020 by Kujamih

[Lucky Bolt 34,914]

15 hours ago, Kujamih said:

I break ...fix planes.... Wait actually we break them.... Too si if its broken then we fix them....

Cool! 

[DubWolf 16,573]

Anything you don’t like pilots doing to the aircraft  ?