Does the scaling potential depend solely on the square-cube law? Certainly, mass in flight is an obstacle to scalability for different reasons including safety and material resistance. But is mass an obstacle on its own, or in combination with other parameters?
I do not yet have a specific answer to this question, so clarification would be welcome. I will only give two examples:
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I had mentioned the problem of negative kinetic energy for Makani M600 during the downward part of the trajectory. Of course, the kinetic energy depends on the mass, but the flattening (if possible) of the trajectory would make it possible to avoid having to undergo it (in addition to the weight).
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A second example came from a simple experiment I just done, and who will make someone laugh with a little experience in physics, which I am not. I easily held a carbon tube 6 mm in diameter and 2 m high by holding it vertically at its base with my thumb and forefinger. On the other hand, the more the bar was tilted the more difficult it was: it is indeed normal because instead of the vertical bar being focused on a point on the ground, the mass of the tilted bar is distributed over several points, my poor thumb and index undergoing leverage of its weight. As a result a tilted (from the bottom to the top) SuperTurbine™ (Serpentine ™) could benefit from a lesser weight as it scales thanks to the numerous smaller rotors; but however it would undergo a higher weight constraint due to leverage, likely leading to a shear effect towards its base. Such a negative effect is mitigated as well as the consequences when the SuperTurbine ™ is maintained by its middle by a mast.