Hi Steve,John: I have a 35 hp motor and a 4" bolt pattern extension located in a dry climate... I haven't seen any change in the bolt tension... However, a builder/flyer recently upgraded to a 45 hp motor that has the 3 1/8" bolt pattern extension and operates in an area that has humidity swings... He experienced a prop loss and made a safe landing... The prop was never recovered though a lot of effort was made to do that so it leaves us looking at options... The Belleville washer stack is an elegant solution that has an engineering based development... The Belleville system is deployed successfully in the Canard community where there is a significant history of prop tosses... Steve
I have used Belleville washers in many applications over the years. Using them in prop tension stabilization is an excellent move. The system maintains a constant axial load even when the axial linear length is changing, within reasonable distances. The small changes due to the leaching and absorption of water and the changes due to temperature variation would certainly be automatically compensated for by the Belleville setup.
Are you currently using this particular prop attachment scheme?
John
Hi Steve,
Something of concern is where is a good place to get a crankshaft cut and balanced now that Eddie at Scat has just emailed me and told me they don’t do the 2 cyl. Engine scene any more? Does the group have any thoughts?
Thanks again for all the great posts and information.
Right now my son wants me to teach him how to weld and build aircraft and fly. I want to do the same.
Cheers to all,
John