Additive Manufactured Propeller Counterweight Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional counterweights for variable-pitch propeller systems are heavy due to the need for a large weighted mass at a significant radius, which increases the overall mass of the propeller system, and are structurally weak at bolted connections, limiting their efficiency and reliability.
Innovation Solution
An additively manufactured counterweight with a sealed chamber containing a high-density weighting material, such as tungsten or uranium, integrated with an arm as a single piece, eliminating the need for separate components and reducing structural weaknesses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a large weighted mass is positioned at a significant radius from the rotational axis, then the required twisting moment on the blade is achieved, but the overall mass of the propeller system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The weighted element is nested within the propeller blade structure itself, with the weighted material contained within a chamber formed by the blade's internal geometry. This integration eliminates the need for separate external counterweights and allows the weighting function to be embedded within the existing blade volume, reducing overall system mass while maintaining the required twisting moment
Solution Approach 2:
High-density weighting material is concentrated in specific localized regions within the propeller blade where it is most effective for generating the twisting moment. The weighting is not distributed uniformly but is strategically positioned in chambers or cavities at optimal radii and angular positions to maximize the counterbalancing effect while minimizing total mass
2Ease of manufacture
If separate components are used for the counterweight (flyweight and arm), then manufacturing and assembly are simplified, but structural strength is reduced at bolted connections
Solution Approach 1:
The weighted element and arm structure are merged into a single monolithic component formed by additive manufacturing. The internal chambers, walls, and connecting structures are all part of the same continuously printed geometry, eliminating all bolted or fastened joints. This integration maintains structural strength throughout the entire assembly while still allowing for relatively simple manufacturing through digital modeling and additive fabrication
3Adaptability or versatility
If the counterweight is rigidly attached to the blade, then the blade can rotate from reverse to feather position, but the counterweight must pass by adjacent blades limiting the distance from the rotational axis
Solution Approach 1:
The propeller blade is segmented into multiple sections with internal cavities or chambers that can contain weighting material. By distributing the weight across multiple segmented regions rather than using a single large external counterweight, the design achieves the required twisting moment while keeping individual weight elements compact enough to clear adjacent blades during rotation through the full pitch range
Data Source
AI summary
A counterweight for use in a variable-pitch propeller system (includes a weighted element having walls forming a sealed chamber). The sealed chamber contains a weighting material, and an arm. The counterweight is configured to be coupled to a propeller blade the walls of the weighted element and the arm comprise a single piece, and are an additively manufactured single piece. The weighting material may comprise a powder element. The sealed chamber may have been sealed during the additive manufacturing process, or after the additive manufacturing process has been completed.