Efficient high-resolution rotor wake calculations using flow field reconstruction

Abstract

Recent computational studies of helicopter flowfields for acoustic applications has led to the development of exceptionally efficient analysis methods for carrying out Lagrangian simulations of the vortex wake. The capabilities of these methods are demonstrated here through calculations involving a variety of wake/rotor interactions associated with both main rotor and tail rotor flowfields. These methods incorporate a flowfield reconstruction approach efficiently to compute vortex wake interactions within arbitrary regions located near the main rotor. This paper summarizes the development of the reconstruction approach and outlines some of its potential uses, while focusing primarily on its application to rotor noise calculations. The development of the nearfield velocity corrections used in the analysis of close vortex interactions is described, and the overall structure of the current reconstruction approach is discussed.