[Stock Helicopters & Turboprops] Non DLC Will Always Be More Fun!

[Frozen_Heart]

1 minute ago, boomchacle said:

Yeah, you could probably do that if they fixed the kraken issue

*Laughs in K-Drive*

[Azimech]

On 5/29/2019 at 4:02 PM, Frozen_Heart said:

I think people shouldn't be worried about the DLC making these designs too easy.

 

Instead it will just open up even more complex things to do using hundreds of robotic parts interacting with each other. Could make a full on piston engine or something like that.

Full piston engines exist but they will always be a sort of hack because we don't have fluid dynamics. The 4-stroke variant is terribly complex with monstrous part count ... mine doesn't run yet on its own power.

On 5/28/2019 at 1:24 AM, ErinBensen said:

I forgot to write this before.

You could also use a jet driving to turbine to drive a propeller, and use control surfaces on the tips of the blades to make a controllable-pitch propeller.

Glad you're on board and yes, you had the right idea. This topic is all about the concept you've described.

[life_on_venus]

Hi again,

I haven't done anything with the new robotics parts yet, but I'm definitely going to take a look.

I think given the low friction of these new bearings, it will make compact, lightweight, low part count engines more viable.

I'll try out some small 2 and 4 engine planes with maybe 2 junos per engine, and see if I can get a useful payload capacity.

I think it might be time to revisit geared systems as well - if not for efficiency then for fun. But if I'm not mistaken, should the efficiency of a turbine stage increase as the turbine edge speed approaches that of the blower's exhaust stream? Remembering KSP's angular speed limit of course

[boomchacle]

2 hours ago, life_on_venus said:

Hi again,

I haven't done anything with the new robotics parts yet, but I'm definitely going to take a look.

I think given the low friction of these new bearings, it will make compact, lightweight, low part count engines more viable.

I'll try out some small 2 and 4 engine planes with maybe 2 junos per engine, and see if I can get a useful payload capacity.

I think it might be time to revisit geared systems as well - if not for efficiency then for fun. But if I'm not mistaken, should the efficiency of a turbine stage increase as the turbine edge speed approaches that of the blower's exhaust stream? Remembering KSP's angular speed limit of course

Jet engines and rockets have an infinite exaust velocity in this game as a bunch of jet engines can fire a projectile past super sonic velocities

 

Also, our stock bearings have 0 friction, so you're not going to get more power using less engines, the only difference is that the part count is going to be lower and the bearing is going to be heavier. It's a trade off.

Edited June 3, 2019 by boomchacle

[Azimech]

1 hour ago, boomchacle said:

Jet engines and rockets have an infinite exaust velocity in this game as a bunch of jet engines can fire a projectile past super sonic velocities

 

Also, our stock bearings have 0 friction, so you're not going to get more power using less engines, the only difference is that the part count is going to be lower and the bearing is going to be heavier. It's a trade off.

Don't forget about the drag. There's always the drag. And stock bearings always have some friction, some of it comes from vibrations. They always vibrate.

Edited June 3, 2019 by Azimech

[boomchacle]

7 hours ago, Azimech said:

Don't forget about the drag. There's always the drag. And stock bearings always have some friction, some of it comes from vibrations. They always vibrate.

I've let a stock bearing spin down with no wings attached and it lasted for over 10 minutes so Idk how much drag there really is. I'm pretty sure most of the drag comes from the aerodynamics of the actual wingtips in the propeller

[boomchacle]

So I've been trying to make a stock XP-55 replica, and despite having 8 juno engines, This thing cannot seem to get past 30 meters per second. Any tips?

 

 

[FleshJeb]

You guys probably know the answer to this:

What's the optimum blade pitch for cruising? 3 to 5 degrees above the vector sum of the tangential and the forward velocity? (Same as the optimum lift-to-drag ratio for a plane wing)

If that's true, the max power should be +25?

[Azimech]

6 hours ago, boomchacle said:

So I've been trying to make a stock XP-55 replica, and despite having 8 juno engines, This thing cannot seem to get past 30 meters per second. Any tips?

 

 

Probably the turbine diameter and/or propeller blade pitch.

4 hours ago, FleshJeb said:

You guys probably know the answer to this:

What's the optimum blade pitch for cruising? 3 to 5 degrees above the vector sum of the tangential and the forward velocity? (Same as the optimum lift-to-drag ratio for a plane wing)

If that's true, the max power should be +25?

It depends, every speed has its own optimal angle. When I'm accelerating I'm adjusting it every 5 seconds or so. The engine speed has a redline (50 rad/s, 477 rpm) but too low doesn't work either. Props in KSP generally start to perform well above 35 rad/s (335 rpm).

[boomchacle]

20 hours ago, Azimech said:

Probably the turbine diameter and/or propeller blade pitch.

Idk azimech, it seems to be having torque problems. When I adjust the pitch, it tends to slow its rotation down a lot. Do I need to bring them in closer?

[_Rade]

My new helicopter, it's not a turboprop but it does have coaxial rotors with the working swashplate and collective, also yaw is controlled via the rotor engine rpm.

Craft file H-21 Frelon

[boomchacle]

On 6/13/2019 at 12:00 PM, _Rade said:

My new helicopter, it's not a turboprop but it does have coaxial rotors with the working swashplate and collective, also yaw is controlled via the rotor engine rpm.

Craft file H-21 Frelon

Wow that's nice. I also happen to be working on a Reaction wheel less stock helicopter but it does not use a swash plate

[boomchacle]

 

[Pds314]

Regarding piston engines, it might be worth trying to build piston engines that use actual pistons, seeing as they are lightweight and easy to control. Although obviously they are not combustion powered.

[Pds314]

As for helicopters, it isn't turboshaft but here is a video of my swashplate copter. It's very hard to control for now.
 

 

[boomchacle]

I finally made a Full stock Synchrocopter :D:D:D

 

[Pds314]

5 minutes ago, boomchacle said:

I finally made a Full stock Synchrocopter :D:D:D

 

Wow. That thing is impressive in several aspects.

[Pds314]

Swashplate chopper aerobatics. The only player-accessible roll controls are the swashplate control rod pistons.
 

 

[boomchacle]

Just now, Pds314 said:

Swashplate chopper aerobatics. The only player-accessible roll controls are the swashplate control rod pistons.
 

 

that's interesting

[Pds314]

1 minute ago, boomchacle said:

that's interesting

Rotors: how the bleep do they work.

Edited July 10, 2019 by Pds314

[boomchacle]

1 minute ago, Pds314 said:

Rotors: how the bleep do they work.

magic

[Pds314]

10 hours ago, boomchacle said:

magic

Watch this then lol.

I broke 58% of the rotor surface assymetrically, half the horizontal stabilizer, and bent a landing gear, and it STILL flies. And lands!
It's not easy to fly but wow is it good at flying damaged.
 

EDIT:

Also this: I break the vertical stabilizer and then do a bunch of hard maneuvers. Eventually I end up doing a 15+ G turn and the rotor explodes.

 

 

Edited July 10, 2019 by Pds314

[Azimech]

6 hours ago, boomchacle said:

I finally made a Full stock Synchrocopter :D:D:D

 

Good job, this is the second synchrocopter I'm seeing. The first one is from 2015.

[boomchacle]

3 hours ago, Azimech said:

Good job, this is the second synchrocopter I'm seeing. The first one is from 2015.

Could you send me a link? I've been trying to find another stock one since I started this but I was unable to.

This is my first ever stock turbo shaft. This was before I really knew how the physics engine works and I was just winging it by adding more boosters lol 

[HafCoJoe]

@Pds314 That swashplate is incredible... is there any chance you could upload your design so I could build off it? I tried making a 250 ton Osprey but wasn't able to get it fully working and got rather burned out trying to get it to fly in both positions. I also attempted to make a semi-cyclic bearing but that was rather buggy for how much it did. All of this was done before the addition of stock hinges, so I wager it would be possible to do now.
 

Edited July 10, 2019 by Avera9eJoe