warped prop????
09-17-2008, 11:01 PM
#1
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warped prop????
ok so a little while ago i bought a plane with a 46b fx on it and have herd nothing but good things about how good and reliable the engine is and how much power it has but i found it pretty sluggish, i decided that i was gunna take the 11x6 prop of and put on an 11x5 and when i took the old one off i found that the prop nut had been tightened so much that it actually squished the hub of the prop in about an 1/8 or 3/16 of and inch and i put the leading edges against a streight edge and the hub where it outside the washer were it wasnt squished is off the streight edge about a 1/4 inch, anyway i am jsut wondering how this would have effected the prop? how inefficient would this have been? etc etc ?
chris
chris
09-18-2008, 02:30 PM
#8
RE: warped prop????
Chrisp it sounds as though this prop is an old used one you acquired somewhere, If thats not so please forgive me.
Its hard to know from your description what warping you are talking about but yes wood props especially are subject to losing to much moisture loss and crushing around the hub.
Wood in partucular but also composite types can lose moisture and fail easily. Also wood has the habit of absorbing too much moisture and some time unevenly from blade to blade which of course will affact balance intermittanly from time to time depending upon your climate and storage conditions.
Even composite types with sufficient exposure will lose too much moisture and become brittle and dangerous.
The picture of the APC below is a perfectly intact prop on the right However shows whitening and discoloration (no other cluses) This prop is just waiting to explode first time someone tries to start it up, very brittle.
Yes this is an extreme case but I did spot someone with this prop installed trying to start it up! Its one he had found Lying in the desert after an indeterminate time.
I suppose what I am trying to say is avoid used unknown props and discard any prop/any material that is damaged in any way.
The prop of choice and the material of choice is agine entirely dependant upon you and your aircraft and many varibles that are not even mentioned. Pure nylons, Composite synthetics and woods all have their place.
If you are a new flyer and still subject to a lot of props strikes the in North America then generally Master types tend to be the most durable and usefull in the training environment.
John
Its hard to know from your description what warping you are talking about but yes wood props especially are subject to losing to much moisture loss and crushing around the hub.
Wood in partucular but also composite types can lose moisture and fail easily. Also wood has the habit of absorbing too much moisture and some time unevenly from blade to blade which of course will affact balance intermittanly from time to time depending upon your climate and storage conditions.
Even composite types with sufficient exposure will lose too much moisture and become brittle and dangerous.
The picture of the APC below is a perfectly intact prop on the right However shows whitening and discoloration (no other cluses) This prop is just waiting to explode first time someone tries to start it up, very brittle.
Yes this is an extreme case but I did spot someone with this prop installed trying to start it up! Its one he had found Lying in the desert after an indeterminate time.
I suppose what I am trying to say is avoid used unknown props and discard any prop/any material that is damaged in any way.
The prop of choice and the material of choice is agine entirely dependant upon you and your aircraft and many varibles that are not even mentioned. Pure nylons, Composite synthetics and woods all have their place.
If you are a new flyer and still subject to a lot of props strikes the in North America then generally Master types tend to be the most durable and usefull in the training environment.
John
