Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-dnltx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T16:47:22.825Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A wind-tunnel based study of helicopter tail rotor blade vortex interaction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2016

F. N. Coton ,
R. A. McD. Galbraith ,
T. Wang  and
S. J. Newman
F. N. Coton
Affiliation:
Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
R. A. McD. Galbraith
Affiliation:
Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
T. Wang
Affiliation:
Department Of Aerodynamics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China
S. J. Newman
Affiliation:
School of Engineering Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The interaction of a helicopter tail rotor blade with the tip vortex system from the main rotor is a significant source of noise and, in some flight states, can produce marked reductions in control effectiveness. This paper describes a series of wind-tunnel tests to simulate tail rotor blade vortex interaction with a view to providing data for the development and validation of numerical simulations of the phenomenon. In the experiments, which were carried out in the Argyll wind-tunnel of Glasgow University, a single-bladed rotor located in the tunnel’s contraction was used to generate the tip vortex which travelled downstream into the working section where it interacted with a model tail rotor. The tail rotor was instrumented with miniature pressure transducers that measured the aerodynamic response during the interaction. The results suggest that the rotor blade vortex interaction is similar in form to that measured at much higher spatial resolution on a fixed, non-rotating blade. The combination of the two datasets, therefore, provides a valuable resource for the development and validation of predictive schemes.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 108 , Issue 1083 , May 2004 , pp. 237 - 244
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2004 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Sheridan, P.F. and Smith, R.P. Interactional aerodynamics – a new challenge to helicopter technology, J American Helicopter Society, 1980, 25, (1), pp 3–21.Google Scholar
2. Prouty, R.W. and Amer, K.B. The YAH-64 empannage and tail rotor – a technical history, Proc 38th American Helicopter Society Annual National Forum, 1982, pp 247–261.Google Scholar
3. Brocklehurst, A. A significant improvement to the low speed yaw control of the Sea King using a tail boom strake, 11th European Rotorcraft Forum, 1985.Google Scholar
4. Straus, J., Renzoni, P. and Mayle, R., Airfoil pressure measurements during a blade-vortex interaction and comparison with theory, AIAA J, 1990, 28, pp 222–228.Google Scholar
5. Masson, C.A., Green, R.B., Galbraith, R.A.McD. and Coton, F.N. Experimental investigation of a loaded rotor blade’s interaction with a single vortex, Aeronaut. J, 1998, 102, (1018), pp 451–457.Google Scholar
6. Marshall, J.S. Vortex cutting by a blade, part 1: general theory and a simple solution, AIAA J, 1994, 32, (6), pp 1145–1150.Google Scholar
7. Marshall, J.S. and Yalamanchili, R. Vortex cutting by a blade, part 2: computations of vortex response, AIAA J, 32, (7), pp 1428–1436.Google Scholar
8. Marshall, J.S. and Grant, J.R. Penetration of a blade into a vortex core: vorticity response and unsteady blade forces, J Fluid Mech, 1996, 306, pp 83–109.Google Scholar
9. Marshall, J.S. and Krishnamoorthy, S. On the instantaneous cutting of a columnar vortex with non-zero axial flow, J Fluid Mech, 1997, 531, pp 41–74.Google Scholar
10. Lee, J.A., Burggraf, O.R. and Conlisk, A.T. On the impulsive blocking of a vortex jet, J Fluid Mech, 1998, 369, pp 301–331.Google Scholar
11. Krishnamoorthy, S. and Marshall, J.S. Three-dimensional blade vortex interaction in the strong vortex regime, Physics of Fluids, 1998, 10, (11), pp 2828–2845.Google Scholar
12. Ahmadi, A. An experimental investigation of blade-vortex interaction at normal incidence, AIAA J, 1986, 23, (1), pp 47–55.Google Scholar
13. Johnston, R.T and Sullivan, J.P. Unsteady wing surface pressures in the wake of propeller, AIAA Paper 92-0277, 1992.Google Scholar
14. Doolan, C.J., Coton, F.N. and Galbraith, R.A.McD. Surface pressure measurements of the orthogonal vortex interaction, AIAA J, 2001, 39, (1), pp 88–95.Google Scholar
15. Doolan, C.J., Coton, F.N. and Galbraith, R.A.McD. The effect of a preceding blade on the orthogonal vortex interaction, 56th American Helicopter Society Forum, Virginia Beach, May 2000.Google Scholar
16. Doolan, C.J., Green, R.B., Coton, F.N. and Galbraith, R.A.McD. The orthogonal blade-vortex interaction experimental programme at the University of Glasgow, 26th European Rotorcraft Forum, The Hague, Sept. 2000.Google Scholar
17. Doolan, C.J., Coton, F.N. and Galbraith, R.A.McD. Three-dimensional vortex interactions with a stationary blade, Aeronaut J, 1999, 103, (1030–1099), pp 579–587.Google Scholar
18. Doolan, C.J., Coton, F.N. and Galbraith, R.A.McD. Measurements of three-dimensional vortices using a hot-wire anemometer, AIAA Paper 99–3810, 1999.Google Scholar
19. Green, R.B., Doolan, C.J. and Cannon, R.M. Measurements of the orthogonal blade-vortex interaction using a particle image velocimetry technique, Exp Fluids, 29, 2000, pp 369–379.Google Scholar
20. Wang, T., Doolan, C.J., Coton, F.N. and Galbraith, R.A.McD., An experimental study of the three-dimensionality of orthogonal blade-vortex interaction, AIAA J, 2002, 40, (10), pp 2037–2046.Google Scholar
21. Yin, J.P. and Ahmed, S.R. Helicopter main-rotor/tail-rotor interaction, J American Helicopter Soc., 2000, 45, (4), pp 293–302.Google Scholar
22. Ellin, A.D.S. Lynx main rotor/tail rotor interactions: mechanisms and modelling, Proc I Mech E Part G: J Aerospace Eng, 1994, 208, (2), pp 115–118.Google Scholar
23. Leverton, J.W., Pollard, J.S. and Wills, C.R. Main rotor wake/tail rotor interaction, Vertica, 1977, 1, pp 213–221.Google Scholar
24. Copland, C.M. The Generation of Transverse and Longitudinal Vortices in Low Speed Wind-Tunnels, PhD thesis, Univ of Glasgow, 1997 Google Scholar