Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[SAS~Gerax]

Nakajima Ki-44-I Shoki with contra rotating two-blade propellors



from here:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=28823&start=15

.....in September 1942 all tests were completed and the fighter was accpeted by the JAAF as the Army Type 2 Single-seat Fighter Model 1 - single-seat being included in the designation to differentiate the aircraft from the Army Type 2 Two-seat Fighter (Kawasaki Ki-45-KAI) - and was named Shoki (Devil-Queller). When met in action over China, the Ki-44 was code named 'Tojo' by the Allies in the China-Burma-India theatre. An initial batch of Ki-44s had already been in production since January 1942, and early machines, similar to the pre-production aircraft, were retroactively designated Model 1A (Ki-44-Ia). They were followed by the Army Type 2 Single-seat Fighter Model 1B (Ki-44-Ib) with armament increased to four 12.7 mm (0.5 in) Type 1 (Ho-103) machine-guns. On the Ki-44-Ib, the oil cooler was removed from inside the cowling and placed under the cowling gills. Few Ki-44-Ic, or Model 1C, were built and, apart from the transfer of the lower hinged portions of the mainwheel fairings from the legs to the fuselage, were identical to the Ki-44-Ib. Only forty production Ki-44-Is were built and one of these machines was experimentally fitted with two-blade contra-rotating propellers.

I know, its only ONE plane .. but maybe ist a nice project for a modder
who loves it to face the challenge of contra-props. 

This pic



is from here:

http://crimso.msk.ru/Site/Arts/Art3366.htm

A Ki.44-I-Hei which was tested with experimental Sumimoto Pe-7 contra-rotating airscrews.

[BravoFxTrt]

Wow, Thats cool!

[Yeager_1946]

Good find, Gerax!

This aircraft would definitely make for an interesting addition to IL-2. 

[crazyflak]

Nice photo   Quite interesting indeed!

[Ghost129er]

This looks like a P-47, doesn't it??

[SAS~Gerax]

This looks like a P-47, doesn't it??

No, not at all.

[RealDarko]

Gerax, any idea if the contra rotating prop improved the performance?

[SAS~Gerax]

No, I have not found any further info.
Don't forget, there was only one plane .. 

Maybe there are some infos available in Japan
so a Japanese member here can tell us more?

[Secesh]

I don't get the 2 blade CRPs ??
Somebody want to explain to me(educate)why this is better than a single 4 blade prop???

[SAS~Gerax]

You ask pretty much the same as RealDarko above ..
so my answer is pretty much the same:

No, I have not found any further info including
infos about performance or other improvments
wich a contra prop would have brought on this plane.

[Yeager_1946]

I don't get the 2 blade CRPs ??
Somebody want to explain to me(educate)why this is better than a single 4 blade prop???

There are definite advantages to this type of setup. For one thing it means the prop doesn't exert any torque effect on the aircraft, which can be significant on an aircraft with a powerful engine and a big prop. It also counters the gyroscopic effect caused by a normal prop's airstream swirl. Contra rotating propellers are also more efficient than normal propellers, meaning more thrust with less fuel consumption, since the second prop is able to recover some of the energy lost by the swirling motion of the upstream propeller's slipstream. CRPs also allow for smaller diameter blades.

The downside however, is added complexity and cost to manufacture... something significant in WW2, especially in mid to late war Japan where resources were running very low and their industry was severely crippled by US bombing raids.

[Batbomb]

Holy Momma! Yes please! Looks so cool with these props! A real killer indeed.