Helicopter Main Rotor Blade Parametric Design for a Preliminary Aerodynamic Analysis Supported by CFD or Panel Method

Abstract

This work is the preliminary part of a research program which is aimed at finding some new methods and design solutions for helicopter main rotor multidisciplinary optimization. The task was to develop a parametric geometric model of a single-blade main rotor applicable for varied methods of numerical aerodynamic modeling. The general analytical assumptions for the parametric main rotor design were described. The description of the main rotor blade parametric design method based on Open GRIP graphical programming was presented. Then, the parametric model of a blade was used for aerodynamic models independently developed for panel method and advanced CFD solver. The results obtained from the CFD simulations and panel analysis for main rotor aerodynamics were compared and assessed using analytical calculations. The calculations and simulations for a single-blade and completed rotor were performed for different helicopter weights and rotor pitch angles. The results of different computer aerodynamic analysis environments were compared for the possibility of their application in an optimization loop. This is preliminary work that describes only a partial problem that could be used in the future as part of a comprehensive methodology for aerodynamic and structural optimization of a helicopter rotor. As an output of the research, new options for main rotor optimization are developed. The combined parametric modeling with aerodynamic analysis, as described in this paper, provide the preliminary design for a main rotor spiral, as an element of the optimization loop.