Helicopter rotor blades shattered by strong winds - GIF

[Altair]

Helicopter rotor blades shattered by strong winds.




Previously:

Camera shutter speed synchronized with helicopter blade rotation - GIF
Helicopter rotor strikes cable and crashes - video
Helicopter main rotor blade flex - GIF
Helicopter shreds tarpaulin - GIF
Helicopter landing in high winds - GIF

[Fluffle-Valve]

So who would have thought this? The blades are made to wizz around at a high rate, but a cross wind just snaps them apart.

[Gadgeteer]

So who would have thought this? The blades are made to wizz around at a high rate, but a cross wind just snaps them apart.

It appears it was more than just a crosswind... suspect the blade encountered vertical/lifting wind when it rotated over the edge of the deck. The copter was just too close to the edge, and was susceptible to increased wind speed, caused by the deflection at the sides of the vessel. Same effect when semis get blown over by wind rising out of a ditch slope along a highway... happens frequently during windy months, along I-90, close to town.

[nova_robotics]

So who would have thought this? The blades are made to wizz around at a high rate, but a cross wind just snaps them apart.

Spinning is what prevents them from snapping. Being composite (carbon fibre?) the things are probably brittle like spaghetti noodles, so much so that a bit of wind can cause them to buckle when stationary. Put a few tons of centrifugal force on each blade and keep them in tension, and all of a sudden they can tolerate 200-400 mph wind loads easily, plus the entire weight of a fully loaded helicopter.

Like pre-stressing concrete. Loading up concrete with additional force to keep it in compression actually makes it far, far stronger.