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Presently most of our blades are built
in natural
composite design, by using high compressed thin layered laminated
beech wood, which has a similar tensile strength as steel, in the root
section and selected lightweight laminated spruce wood in the remaining
part of the blade.
The wooden core is reinforced by layers of epoxy fiberglass, Kevlar®
or carbon fiber and sealed by several coatings of acrylic-polyurethane
paint. An aluminum blade ferrule is attached to the blade
root by using special design patented lag screws.
The critical section of the blade's leading edge is protected by a bonded
on stainless steel erosion sheath. The inboard section of the
leading edge is protected by a self-adhesive PU-strip. All
of the above makes the blade all weather operable.
Propellers for
aerobatic aircrafts or propellers built with feathering capability
are equipped with counterweights, that are installed on the blade
ferrule. The pitch change pin is in a different position and the blades
are identified by a "C" in front of the numbers, i.e. C200-15.
Blades for feathering propellers are identified by a "CF".
The spinner dome is a single piece part made from
fiber reinforced composite (Kevlar®), which replaces
the spinformed aluminum alloy used in the earlier days and is extremely
crack resistant as well as very light.
The bulkheads are made from spinformed or die forged aluminum alloy. The
front bulkhead is seen as a part of the hub assembly and also used as
attachment point for static balancing weights. Filler plates increase
the stiffness of the dome around the cutouts for the blades. The dome
is attached to the bulkhead with stainless steel spinner screws.
The servo pressure
necessary for changing pitch is generated by a gear pump located inside
the propeller governor, which increases the
oil pressure supplied by the engine by factor 6 or higher. Flyweights
and a speeder spring move a pilot valve, allowing servo oil flow to
and from the piston in the propeller. In an on speed condition there
is no oil flow. A speed (RPM) adjusting lever actuated from the cockpit
changes the preload of the speeder spring. This results in an engine
RPM change by changing propeller pitch. The propeller system
is single acting and without oil pressure the natural twisting
moment of the blades will always turn them into low pitch position (non-counterweighted
propellers). The governor produces usually oil pressure to increase
pitch. However, blades having counterweights installed i.e.
for aerobatic aircraft or twin engine aircraft always turn into high
pitch position without oil pressure and therefore use oil pressure to
decrease pitch. The relief valve pressure should be set somewhere between
270 and 340 psi.
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