okay very simple project think of it as an RC helicopter i have the main shaft going through which i want to rotate but i want to change the angle of the top shaft through my linkage which i think will work???
how can i setup this so that that everything will adjust correctly in the linkage also how can i make one object rotate on 2 different axis via armatures
any ideas? can this be done?
I’m a Helicopter Engineer by trade, so hopefully I should be able to figure it out 
Basically, you want the Main shaft rotating with the Rotor Head connected to the top of this shaft. However, to be able to put in Roll / Pitch Inputs. What you need is a swashplate. Basically, think of it as this : The inner part and connected to the blades (to provide the pitch input) - this will be rotating. The outer part is stationary - with the input from the pilot going into it.
This is a Model, but it explains what I mean :
The Black Star is the non-rotating side, it moves up and down depending on the pilots input - its connected to three Hydraulic Jacks, 1 back, 1 right, 1 Left, and they change according to input (All three for collective, right / Left for roll). The Rotating star (the silver piece) is rotating inside (or ontop in the picture) of the non-rotating - And they all pivot about a central Bearing (The ball you can see slightly sticking out inbetween the main shaft, and the Silver Rotating Star. The Silver Rotating Star is then connected to the leading edge side of each blade, to change the angle of attack each blade.
Clear as mud eh?
The middle section you have designed would be a pain to get working. Easier to create a ball within a socket really - Which basically is what I’ve shown above. If I find time today, I’ll attempt to knock something up in Blender, but seen as I’m pretty new, it might take me a while 
If you need any more help, or better images and can wait a few weeks for me to get back to work, I can sort you out something Good luck though
Hey bud brilliant do you know where i can find more info on swash plates im trying to setup so that the rotor tilt is controlled via servo’s is this a good meathod?
BINGO I FOUND IT THATS CHANGED MY DESIGN A BIT NOW TRYING TO RIG IT.
Nevermind, you posted as I did 
thanks for your help though on your heli’s do you use servo’s to control your jacks?
That is an interesting one!
@Phoenix492: so is what that video suggests – that a helicopter’s rotors go flinging around all over the place during flight – is that how it really works? The rotors aren’t rigidly held horizontally? some of my fundamental beliefs are being challenged here…
the angle of attack on each blade is adjusted as it turns around each time it is very hard to believe that rotating at such speed it would be able to do this but it is possible
I really like servoes but it seems like there might be some easier way to do this but I can’t figure out what.
four pistons each underneath a different quadrent of the ring maybe?
i don’t know. I’m not much of a aeronautic engineer.
Right, lets start the replies! lol
@Willissteve0 - The Three jacks used to control the angle of the swashplate are Hydraulic Servo Jacks - manually controlled by control rods via the pilots cyclic, and backup up with the hydraulics to overcome the flight loads (Primary / Auxillary hydraulics - Backup just incase).
@CrashDaddy - Remember that Helicopter aren’t supposed to fly lol They go against everything we know and think! On the Seaking Helicopters I work on, The 5 Main rotor blades are only attached by 12 Bolts - And the Blade sleeve where it attaches has a few hinge points. The Flapping hinge allows the blade to flap up from anywhere up to 6 feet at times, and to move backwards and forwards (Drag Hinge), and has flapping restrainers on the underside to prevent the blade from falling down - if they weren’t there, it would be at knee level, and cut the tail of the Aircraft off. Don’t worry though all these hinges removes the load on the blades. The forces acting on the blades are so much that if we didn’t prethink the forces, the pilots controls would be 90 degrees out - like, if the pilot pitched forward, he would roll left. To do that, we offset the servo jacks controlling the swashplate by 45 degrees, and the angle of the blade to the centre of the head by 45 degrees to overcome and “pre-empt” the action - Confused? lol
If the blades were rigid, they would snap easily. To bring it into perspecitve how rubbish seakings are designed (or how cleverly), the Main Rotor Head is held on by 1 Nut, which is secured Hand Tight only, and then backed off half a turn (although that nut is secured by 8 bolts torque loaded heavily) (The nut is nicknamed the Jesus nut, because if it comes off, so does the head…and then the next person you’ll be seeing would be Jesus). On some Helicopters, the Blades are held in place (via a semi-rigid rotor - a form of what in the video) compared to a fully articulated Rotor head like the one I described - New Technologies and such.
Next time you are flying on a commerical Airliner (say a 747 or something large) try and look at the wingtips during heavy flight loads (takeover / Landing / Banking) - The wingtips are supposed to flex up to 3ish feet - and those wings are full of your fuel! 
So your telling me that the swash plate i just built is out by 90 degrees? 
No. If you look at The location of the Servo Jacks, instead of being at the front / left / rear, the front is actually right hand side, the right jack is at the back and right, and the left is nearer the front and left…so 45 degrees out…I’ll knock up something in Paint…
The other 45 degrees is in the head. If you notice the pitch control rods (where the input moves from the swashplate to the blade) isn’t on the blade - but infront (see the model picture I posted). The angle between the pitch control rod, and the centre of rotation of the main rotor shaft is 45 degrees - that makes up the 90 degrees (overcoming the phase lag)
Shit the bed :spin:
Right…The Black colours are the Theoritical Postions of the Hydraulic Jacks, the Red are the Acutal Locations. The red / Black line across the centre indicate the first 45 Degrees to prevent Phase Lag (the 90 degree delay)
Although - Anyone looking won’t know the difference - unless they are A) aeronautical Engineer or B) have seen this thread - Quick delete the thread! lol
Right, and the 2nd 45 Degrees. The Angle between the Input to the blade from the swashplate, and the Chord line of the blade (I.E its axis of rotation from the main rotor shaft)…
So thats the 90 Degrees, to overcome the delay from the flight loads!
Also - Apologises for my below par Paint Efforts! lol
I hope this helps!
Yer that’s a bit better rigging it seems impossible as well may need to script it
Just out of curiosity, what do you think of my piston rig idea?
im not sure how it would work or really how to control it
