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Hassan, Ahmed A.

Publications and source records attributed to Hassan, Ahmed A..

Blade vortex interaction noise reduction techniques for a rotorcraft

An active control device for reducing blade-vortex interactions (BVI) noise generated by a rotorcraft, such as a helicopter, comprises a trailing edge flap located near the tip of each of the rotorcraft's rotor blades. The flap may be actuated in any conventional way, and is scheduled to be actuated to a deflected position during rotation of the rotor blade through predetermined regions of the rotor azimuth, and is further scheduled to be actuated to a retracted position through the remaining regions of the rotor azimuth. Through the careful azimuth-dependent deployment and retraction of the flap over the rotor disk, blade tip vortices which are the primary source for BVI noise are (a) made weaker and (b) pushed farther away from the rotor disk (that is, larger blade-vortex separation distances are achieved).

Charles, Bruce D.↗

Blade vortex interaction noise reduction techniques for a rotorcraft

An active control device for reducing blade-vortex interactions (BVI) noise generated by a rotorcraft, such as a helicopter, comprises a trailing edge flap located near the tip of each of the rotorcraft's rotor blades. The flap may be actuated in any conventional way, and is scheduled to be actuated to a deflected position during rotation of the rotor blade through predetermined regions of the rotor azimuth, and is further scheduled to be actuated to a retracted position through the remaining regions of the rotor azimuth. Through the careful azimuth-dependent deployment and retraction of the flap over the rotor disk, blade tip vortices which are the primary source for BVI noise are (a) made weaker and (b) pushed farther away from the rotor disk (that is, larger blade-vortex separation distances are achieved).

Charles, Bruce D.↗

Effects of leading and trailing edge flaps on the aerodynamics of airfoil/vortex interactions

A numerical procedure has been developed for predicting the two-dimensional parallel interaction between a free convecting vortex and a NACA 0012 airfoil having leading and trailing edge integral-type flaps. Special emphasis is placed on the unsteady flap motion effects which result in alleviating the interaction at subcritical and supercritical onset flows. The numerical procedure described here is based on the implicit finite-difference solutions to the unsteady two-dimensional full potential equation. Vortex-induced effects are computed using the Biot-Savart Law with allowance for a finite core radius. The vortex-induced velocities at the surface of the airfoil are incorporated into the potential flow model via the use of the velocity transpiration approach. Flap motion effects are also modeled using the transpiration approach. For subcritical interactions, our results indicate that trailing edge flaps can be used to alleviate the impulsive loads experienced by the airfoil. For supercritical interactions, our results demonstrate the necessity of using a leading edge flap, rather than a trailing edge flap, to alleviate the interaction. Results for various time-dependent flap motions and their effect on the predicted temporal sectional loads, differential pressures, and the free vortex trajectories are presented

Hassan, Ahmed A.↗

Effects of leading and trailing edge flaps on the aerodynamics of airfoil/vortex interactions

A numerical procedure based on the unsteady 2D full potential equation is presently used to simulate the effects of leading-edge and trailing-edge flaps on the aerodynamics of airfoil-vortex interactions. Attention is given to unsteady flap-motion effects, which alleviate those interactions at sub- and supercritical onset flows. For subcritical interactions, the results obtained indicate that trailing-edge flaps can be used to alleviate the impulsive loads experienced by the airfoil; for supercritical interactions, a leading- rather than trailing-edge flap must be used to alleviate the interaction.

Hassan, Ahmed A.↗

Prediction of blade-vortex interaction noise using airloads generated by a finite-difference technique

The present numerical finite-difference scheme for helicopter blade-load prediction during realistic, self-generated three-dimensional blade-vortex interactions (BVI) derives the velocity field through a nonlinear superposition of the rotor flow-field yielded by the full potential rotor flow solver RFS2 for BVI, on the one hand, over the rotational vortex flow field computed with the Biot-Savart law. Despite the accurate prediction of the acoustic waveforms, peak amplitudes are found to have been persistently underpredicted. The inclusion of BVI noise source in the acoustic analysis significantly improved the perceived noise level-corrected tone prediction.

Tadghighi, Hormoz↗

Simulation of realistic rotor blade-vortex interactions using a finite-difference technique

A numerical finite-difference code has been used to predict helicopter blade loads during realistic self-generated three-dimensional blade-vortex interactions. The velocity field is determined via a nonlinear superposition of the rotor flowfield. Data obtained from a lifting-line helicopter/rotor trim code are used to determine the instantaneous position of the interaction vortex elements with respect to the blade. Data obtained for three rotor advance ratios show a reasonable correlation with wind tunnel data.

Hassan, Ahmed A.↗

Transonic airfoil design for helicopter rotor applications

Despite the fact that the flow over a rotor blade is strongly influenced by locally three-dimensional and unsteady effects, practical experience has always demonstrated that substantial improvements in the aerodynamic performance can be gained by improving the steady two-dimensional charateristics of the airfoil(s) employed. The two phenomena known to have great impact on the overall rotor performance are: (1) retreating blade stall with the associated large pressure drag, and (2) compressibility effects on the advancing blade leading to shock formation and the associated wave drag and boundary-layer separation losses. It was concluded that: optimization routines are a powerful tool for finding solutions to multiple design point problems; the optimization process must be guided by the judicious choice of geometric and aerodynamic constraints; optimization routines should be appropriately coupled to viscous, not inviscid, transonic flow solvers; hybrid design procedures in conjunction with optimization routines represent the most efficient approach for rotor airfroil design; unsteady effects resulting in the delay of lift and moment stall should be modeled using simple empirical relations; and inflight optimization of aerodynamic loads (e.g., use of variable rate blowing, flaps, etc.) can satisfy any number of requirements at design and off-design conditions.

Hassan, Ahmed A.↗

Implications of truncating semi-infinite physical domains on the accuracy of the solutions to the N-S equations

Numerical techniques for solving the Navier-Stokes equations of laminar incompressible flow over a forward-facing step on a semiinfinite flat plate are evaluated analytically and by means of sample computations. A primitive-variable method with pseudocompressibility and full mapping of the semiinfinite domain is compared with a vorticity/stream-function method with a truncated domain, applying a flux-corrected explicit finite-difference procedure to solve the discretized transport equations. The results are presented in graphs and compared with published experimental data. The solutions obtained with the truncated-domain methods are shown to be inaccurate, even in cases when they are smooth.

Dekruif, Jeffery S.↗

Geometries for roughness shapes in laminar flow

A passive interface mechanism between upper and lower skin structures, and a leading edge structure of a laminar flow airfoil is described. The interface mechanism takes many shapes. All are designed to be different than the sharp orthogonal arrangement prevalent in the prior art. The shapes of the interface structures are generally of two types: steps away from the centerline of the airfoil with a sloping surface directed toward the trailing edge and, the other design has a gap before the sloping surface. By properly shaping the step, the critical step height is increased by more than 50% over the orthogonal edged step.

Holmes, Bruce J.↗