Numerical Simulation of Aerodynamic Interaction Effects in Coaxial Compound Helicopters

The so-called coaxial compound helicopter features two rigid coaxial rotors,and possesses high-speed capabilities.Nevertheless,the small separation of the coaxial rotors causes severe aerodynamic interactions,which require careful analysis.In the present work,the aerodynamic interaction between the various helicopter components is investigated by means of a numerical method considering both hover and forward flight conditions.While a sliding mesh method is used to deal with the rotating coaxial rotors,the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes(RANS)equations are solved for the flow field.The Caradonna&Tung(CT)rotor and Harrington-2 coaxial rotor are considered to validate the numerical method.The results show that the aerodynamic interaction of the two rigid coaxial rotors significantly influences hover’s induced velocity and pressure distribution.In addition,the average thrust of an isolated coaxial rotor is smaller than that of the corresponding isolated single rotor.Compared with the isolated coaxial rotor,the existence of the fuselage results in an increment in the thrust of the rotors.Furthermore,these interactions between the components of the considered coaxial compound helicopter decay with an increase in the advance ratio.

Electromagnetic scattering characteristics of coaxial helicopter based on dynamic transformation method

With the development of coaxial rotors and high-speed helicopters, the electromagnetic scattering characteristics of coaxial helicopters have gradually become a research hotspot. In order to deal with the Radar Cross-Section(RCS) of high-speed rotating rotors or coaxial main rotors, a Dynamic Scattering Method(DSM) based on dynamic process simulation and grid coordinate transformation is presented. Instantaneous electromagnetic scattering from rotors and helicopters is solved using Physical Optics(PO) and Physical Theory of Diffraction(PTD). Important factors are analyzed and discussed in detail, including individual rotor rotation, azimuth, elevation angle,fuselage, pitch angle, and roll angle. The results show that the electromagnetic scattering characteristics of rotor-type components are dynamic and periodic. The dynamic RCS period of a single rotor is related to the dynamic RCS period of the coaxial main rotor. Choosing different observation angles and attitude angles has a great impact on the static and dynamic RCS of the helicopter.The presented DSM is effective and efficient to analyze and determine the dynamic electromagnetic scattering characteristics of conventional helicopters or coaxial helicopters.

Robust-augmentation nonlinear dynamic inversion control of over-actuated coaxial high-speed helicopter in transition mode

As the elevator and rudder can be used actively for control,in addition to the rotors,Coaxial High-speed Helicopters(CHHs)have the problems of control redundancy and changing control authority in the transition mode.This paper presents a robust-augmentation transitioning flight control design for a CHH under the adverse conditions of parametric uncertainties and external disturbances.First,based on control characteristic analysis,an Adaptive Filtered Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion(AFNDI)controller is proposed for the angular rate to handle the effect of unknown unstructured uncertainties and external turbulence.Theoretical analysis proves that the presented angular rate controller can guarantee steady-state and transient performance.Furthermore,the attitude angle and velocity controllers are also added.Then,an Incremental-based Nonlinear Prioritizing Control Allocation(INPCA)method is designed to take into account control surface transition and changing control authority,which efficiently distributes the required moments between coaxial rotors and aero-surfaces,and avoids the control reversal problem of the yaw channel.In the proposed control architecture,the low-pass filter is introduced to alleviate the adverse influence of time delay and measurement noise.Finally,the effectiveness of the proposed controller is demonstrated through nonlinear numerical simulations,and is compared with existing methods.Simulation results show that the proposed control law can improve both capabilities of disturbance rejection and fast response,and works satisfactorily for the CHH transitioning control characteristic.

Influence of differential longitudinal cyclic pitch on flight dynamics of coaxial compound helicopter

The Differential Longitudinal Cyclic Pitch(DLCP)in coaxial compound helicopter is found to be useful in mitigating low-speed rotor interactions and improving flight performance.The complex mutual interaction is simulated by a revised rotor aerodynamics model,where an improved Blade Element Momentum Theory(BEMT)is proposed.Comparisons with the rotor inflow distributions and aircraft trim results from literature validate the accuracy of the model.Then,the influence of the DLCP on the flight dynamics of the aircraft is analysed.The trim characteristics indicate that a negative DLCP can reduce collective and differential collective inputs in low speed forward flight,and the negative longitudinal gradient is alleviated.Moreover,a moderate DLCP can reduce the rotor and total power consumption by 4.68%and 2.9%,respectively.As DLCP further increases,the increased propeller power and unbalanced thrust allocation offset the improvement.In high-speed flight,DLCP does not improve the performance except for extra lateral and heading stick displacements.In addition,the tip clearance is degraded throughout the speed envelope due to the differential pitching moment and the higher thrust from the lower rotor.Meanwhile,the changed rotor efficiency and induced velocity alter low-speed dynamic stability and controllability.The pitch and roll subsidences are slightly degraded with the DLCP,while the heave subsidence,dutch roll and phugoid modes are improved.Lastly,the on-axis controllability,including collective,differential collective pitch,longitudinal and lateral cyclic pitches,varies with DLCP due to its effect on rotor efficiency and inflow distribution.In conclusion,a reasonable DLCP is recommended to adjust the rotor interaction and improve aircraft performance,and further to alter the flight dynamics and aerodynamics of aircraft.