WARNING Check your prop !!! The bolts could shear off !!!!

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FAWGie
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WARNING Check your prop !!! The bolts could shear off !!!!

Postby FAWGie » Thu Mar 16, 2006 7:50 pm

Recently an ultralight aircraft fitted with a Rotax 912S engine and electric VP IVO prop shocked us when the owner did a short engine run and on shut down, the prop fell off...It was found that all six bolts had sheared....

What followed was a flurry of phone calls to determine the cause and how to avoid the re-occurance......There were also questions raised as to whether the prop was suitable for the 100hp motor.....I see that there is a service bulletin out for all IVO props.... http://ivoprop.com/servicebul2.htm

A Rotax supplier got in touch with the IVO manufacturer and the following was their response... (In the interrests of safety, I decided to post the content as the manufacturer requires motion detector tape and regular re-torqing and I hear that a second plane had the same problem up Country this week.....)
Dear XXXXXX (Name removed),

http://ivoprop.com/ultralightmodel.htm
IVOPROP "Ultralight Model For engines up to 100 hp"

If the prop blade bolt torque is not maintained and there is movement of the blades in the hub in the direction of rotation that is not detected because the motion detector tape is not used correctly there will be damage beyond repair by the time a problem is noticed.

With the meDium prop on the 912(S) drive lugs are used but only to hold the adapter to the flange.

The prop blade bolt torque still must be maintained and it is mandatory to use the motion detector tape correctly otherwise there will be movement in the hub causing damage as above.

The bolts can break, but more often there can be broken cams, elongated bolt holes, and cracking around the bolt holes.

912S and late model 912 80 hp 75 mm flange pattern for Ultrailght model propeller bolt holes are not threaded

so we use the stronger AN5 BOLTS,

EARLY MODEL 912 80 HP 75 MM PATTERN IS THREADED SO WE HAVE TO USE 8 MM BOLTS.

I suspect the bolts that broke were the 8 mm and not the AN5 because the bolts broke before there was damage to the cams or blade bolt holes. Was this the case?

Since early model 912 80 hp 75 MM pattern has threaded holes it might be better to use the meDium prop that would have

12 mm drive lugs around the 8 mm bolts.


Early model 912 80 hp

(change was around 1995)

75 mm BC, 8 mm threaded holes

100 mm BC, 8 mm ID, 12 mm OD drive lugs


Late model

75 mm BC, 8 mm (5/16") non threaded holes

4 inch BC (101.6 mm), 8 mm ID, 13 mm OD drive lugs


Recommendations:

912 80 hp

Ultralight 3 blade 68-72 or down to 64 +High pitch

meDium 2 blade 70-74

meDium 3 blade up to 68


912S 100 hp

Ultralight 3 blade +High pitch

meDium 2 blade 72-74

meDium 3 blade up to 70


914 115 hp

Ultralight Right turn 3 blade 72 +High pitch Electric adjust

(Yes, 4 UL model on 914 in data base since 1997)

meDium 2 blade 74

meDium 3 blade up to 72

With Ultralight model prop on 912S or 914 be aware of prop stall

where you will need to get some forward speed before adding

all the power.


The use of the service bulletin Motion Detector Tape is required

for all above combinations.


Regards, Ron
[/b]
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Bennie Vorster
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Postby Bennie Vorster » Tue Mar 21, 2006 9:30 pm

Two weeks ago one of the Pilots found on a pre flight inspection that two of the bolts on his Windlass had been sticking out about an inch. :?

After trying to fasten it, he found it to be completely snapped. :shock:

After trying to tighten the other ones left, he snapped them one by one and had to replace them all. Makes you think. :roll: :roll: :roll:
Growing old is far more dangerous than flying !!!
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ZULU1
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Bolts

Postby ZULU1 » Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:12 am

I flew a Windlass in LAdysmith a few years ago, wood prop 503...the lot broke in flight...but it still flew but freewheeled. Hit the mags and did an emergency landing. The torque is critical.

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Morph
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Postby Morph » Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:32 am

Bennie Vorster wrote:Two weeks ago one of the Pilots found on a pre flight inspection that two of the bolts on his Windlass had been sticking out about an inch. :?
:
Make sure you torque them correctly, check that your tracking is still OK, and then Mucho Importante, safety-wire the prop bolts. I have seen a hell of a lot of planes who don't do this. It is a simple safety feature that will prevent the bolts from loosening up and coming out during a flight. If you don't do this and one or two of the bolts start coming loose, your tracking goes out, but you are also putting more strain on the other bolts, eventually resulting in them snapping.

just drill small 1 to 1,5 mm holes through the head of the bolt. This pic shows them wired in pairs, I prefer to wire them all together.

Image
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Postby skybound® » Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:06 pm

It is amazing what harmonics and other forces can do.

Would I be correct in saying that we probably do not understand enough about all these forces, or we would not experience the level of failures we do? And when I say we, I include the manufacturers in this too.

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