Main Rotor Wake Interference Effects on Tail Rotor Thrust in Crosswind

Reverse pedal operational property in front crosswind flight condition is a potential hazard for accidents involving loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE), which is closely related to the main rotor (MR) wake interference on the tail rotor (TR). As understanding of this interaction is vital for the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chang Wang, Min Qi Huang, Shuai Ma, Hao Wen Wang, Min Tang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2021-01-01
Series:International Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/9994115
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832560553073049600
author Chang Wang
Min Qi Huang
Shuai Ma
Hao Wen Wang
Min Tang
author_facet Chang Wang
Min Qi Huang
Shuai Ma
Hao Wen Wang
Min Tang
author_sort Chang Wang
collection DOAJ
description Reverse pedal operational property in front crosswind flight condition is a potential hazard for accidents involving loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE), which is closely related to the main rotor (MR) wake interference on the tail rotor (TR). As understanding of this interaction is vital for the early warning strategy development, the MR wake influence effect on TR thrust and the effect of helicopter yaw stability are examined in this study. For this purpose, the comparison of TR thrust and flow field with wind azimuth and speed in front crosswind environment was performed by experiment and CFD simulation, respectively. Test campaign was performed at a 5.5 m×4 m wind tunnel in the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center using a high-position bottom-blade forward-rotating TR and a counterclockwise rotating MR to address the TR thrust under wind speeds of 8–22 m/s with 50°, 60°, and 70° wind azimuths. The influence of MR disc loading was also contrasted. CFD analysis was used to gain insight into the flow physics responsible for the interference effect. It was conducted with unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulations, where the MR using the actuator disk approach and the TR blade rotation was modeled via a sliding mesh method. Results indicated that the MR disc vortex has a remarkable interference effect on the TR aerodynamic performance characteristic and that the effect is sensitive to the wind speed, wind direction, and MR disc loading. The observed yaw instability is considered to be related to the lesser inflow introduced by the MR disc vortex due to the change in the relative position of the disc vortex filament and TR with the wind azimuth. The increase in TR thrust at moderate wind speeds is due to the increase in leading edge dynamic pressure caused by the opposite swirl direction of the disc vortex contrasted to the TR. The MR disc loading affects the TR thrust due to the change of disc vortex strength and position.
format Article
id doaj-art-c6bee8a23bfc4432aede9d09d5a64828
institution Kabale University
issn 1687-5966
1687-5974
language English
publishDate 2021-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series International Journal of Aerospace Engineering
spelling doaj-art-c6bee8a23bfc4432aede9d09d5a648282025-02-03T01:27:20ZengWileyInternational Journal of Aerospace Engineering1687-59661687-59742021-01-01202110.1155/2021/99941159994115Main Rotor Wake Interference Effects on Tail Rotor Thrust in CrosswindChang Wang0Min Qi Huang1Shuai Ma2Hao Wen Wang3Min Tang4Tsinghua University & China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center, ChinaChina Aerodynamics Research and Development Center, ChinaChina Aerodynamics Research and Development Center, ChinaTsinghua University, ChinaChina Aerodynamics Research and Development Center, ChinaReverse pedal operational property in front crosswind flight condition is a potential hazard for accidents involving loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE), which is closely related to the main rotor (MR) wake interference on the tail rotor (TR). As understanding of this interaction is vital for the early warning strategy development, the MR wake influence effect on TR thrust and the effect of helicopter yaw stability are examined in this study. For this purpose, the comparison of TR thrust and flow field with wind azimuth and speed in front crosswind environment was performed by experiment and CFD simulation, respectively. Test campaign was performed at a 5.5 m×4 m wind tunnel in the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center using a high-position bottom-blade forward-rotating TR and a counterclockwise rotating MR to address the TR thrust under wind speeds of 8–22 m/s with 50°, 60°, and 70° wind azimuths. The influence of MR disc loading was also contrasted. CFD analysis was used to gain insight into the flow physics responsible for the interference effect. It was conducted with unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulations, where the MR using the actuator disk approach and the TR blade rotation was modeled via a sliding mesh method. Results indicated that the MR disc vortex has a remarkable interference effect on the TR aerodynamic performance characteristic and that the effect is sensitive to the wind speed, wind direction, and MR disc loading. The observed yaw instability is considered to be related to the lesser inflow introduced by the MR disc vortex due to the change in the relative position of the disc vortex filament and TR with the wind azimuth. The increase in TR thrust at moderate wind speeds is due to the increase in leading edge dynamic pressure caused by the opposite swirl direction of the disc vortex contrasted to the TR. The MR disc loading affects the TR thrust due to the change of disc vortex strength and position.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/9994115
spellingShingle Chang Wang
Min Qi Huang
Shuai Ma
Hao Wen Wang
Min Tang
Main Rotor Wake Interference Effects on Tail Rotor Thrust in Crosswind
International Journal of Aerospace Engineering
title Main Rotor Wake Interference Effects on Tail Rotor Thrust in Crosswind
title_full Main Rotor Wake Interference Effects on Tail Rotor Thrust in Crosswind
title_fullStr Main Rotor Wake Interference Effects on Tail Rotor Thrust in Crosswind
title_full_unstemmed Main Rotor Wake Interference Effects on Tail Rotor Thrust in Crosswind
title_short Main Rotor Wake Interference Effects on Tail Rotor Thrust in Crosswind
title_sort main rotor wake interference effects on tail rotor thrust in crosswind
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/9994115
work_keys_str_mv AT changwang mainrotorwakeinterferenceeffectsontailrotorthrustincrosswind
AT minqihuang mainrotorwakeinterferenceeffectsontailrotorthrustincrosswind
AT shuaima mainrotorwakeinterferenceeffectsontailrotorthrustincrosswind
AT haowenwang mainrotorwakeinterferenceeffectsontailrotorthrustincrosswind
AT mintang mainrotorwakeinterferenceeffectsontailrotorthrustincrosswind