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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
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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 

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