Journal of Aerospace Science and Technology

Journal of Aerospace Science and Technology

Helicopter Rotor Airloads Prediction Using CFD and Flight Test Measurement in Hover Flight

Author
Abstract
An implicit unsteady upwind solver including a mesh motion approach was applied to simulate a helicopter including body, main rotor and tail rotor in hover flight. The discretization was based on a second order finite volume approach with fluxes given by the Roeand#39;s scheme. Discretization of Geometric Conservation Laws (GCL) was devised in such a way that the three-dimensional flows on arbitrary moving grids could be solved. The accurate geometric representation together with the flexibility required for grid displacement was achieved by using a tetrahedral grid. First, the numerical methodology was validated through experimental test data; then, our supposed helicopter configuration was utilized. At the same time, the main rotor loading measurements were done through flight tests. Two methods of moving reference frame (MRF) and viscous/inviscid Dynamic Mesh were compared resulting in robustness of Dynamic Mesh approach. Ultimately, our calculationsyieldedvalid solutions to the blade loading and wake structure.
Keywords

  • Receive Date 29 September 2013
  • Accept Date 30 October 2017
  • First Publish Date 30 October 2017