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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Prediction of aeroelastic response of a model X-wing rotor

The Rotorcraft Dynamics Analysis was used to predict the aeroelastic responses of a representative X-Wing model with a 10-ft diameter rotor. The aeroelastic methodology used and the tests and assumptions involved are reviewed. Results are reported on the findings concerning control power and higher harmonic control in hover, transition flight, vibratory loads at forward speed, and responses in conversion. It is concluded that the analysis can give satisfactory predictions of X-Wing behavior.

Sopher, Robert↗
NASA NTRS1980

Wind-tunnel test of an articulated helicopter rotor model with several tip shapes

Six interchangeable tip shapes were tested: a square (baseline) tip, an ogee tip, a subwing tip, a swept tip, a winglet tip, and a short ogee tip. In hover at the lower rotational speeds the swept, ogee, and short ogee tips had about the same torque coefficient, and the subwing and winglet tips had a larger torque coefficient than the baseline square tip blades. The ogee and swept tip blades required less torque coefficient at lower rotational speeds and roughly equivalent torque coefficient at higher rotational speeds compared with the baseline square tip blades in forward flight. The short ogee tip required higher torque coefficient at higher lift coefficients than the baseline square tip blade in the forward flight test condition.

Berry, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Acoustic measurements on aerofoils moving in a circle at high speed

Features of the test apparatus, research objectives and sample test results at the Stanford University rotor aerodynamics and noise facility are described. A steel frame equipped to receive lead shot for damping vibrations supports the drive shaft for rotor blade elements. Sleeve bearings are employed to assure quietness, and a variable speed ac motor produces the rotations. The test stand can be configured for horizontal or vertical orientation of the drive shaft. The entire assembly is housed in an acoustically sealed room. Rotation conditions for hover and large angles of attack can be studied, together with rotational and blade element noises. Research is possible on broad band, discrete frequency, and high speed noise, with measurements taken 3 m from the center of the rotor. Acoustic signatures from Mach 0.3-0.93 trials with a NACA 0012 airfoil are provided.

Wright, S. E.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Transient airload computer analysis for simulating wind induced impulsive noise conditions of a hovering helicopter rotor

A numerical analysis was developed to determine the airloads on helicopter rotors operating under near-hovering flight conditions capable of producing impulsive noise. A computer program was written in which the solutions for the rotor tip vortex geometry, inflow, aeroelastic response, and airloads are solved in a coupled manner at sequential time steps, with or without the influence of an imposed steady ambient wind or transient gust. The program was developed for future applications in which predicted airloads would be incorporated in an acoustics analysis to attempt to predict and analyze impulsive noise (blade slap). The analysis was applied to a hovering full-scale rotor for which impulsive noise was recorded in the presence of ambient wind. The predicted tip vortex coordinates are in reasonable agreement with the test data, and the blade airload solutions converged to a periodic behavior for an imposed steady ambient wind conditions.

Hall, G. F.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Results of the first complete static calibration of the RSRA rotor-load-measurement system

The compound Rotor System Research Aircraft (RSRA) is designed to make high-accuracy, simultaneous measurements of all rotor forces and moments in flight. Physical calibration of the rotor force- and moment-measurement system when installed in the aircraft is required to account for known errors and to ensure that measurement-system accuracy is traceable to the National Bureau of Standards. The first static calibration and associated analysis have been completed with good results. Hysteresis was a potential cause of static calibration errors, but was found to be negligible in flight compared to full-scale loads, and analytical methods have been devised to eliminate hysteresis effects on calibration data. Flight tests confirmed that the calibrated rotor-load-measurement system performs as expected in flight and that it can dependably make direct measurements of fuselage vertical drag in hover.

Acree, C. W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Acoustic Predictions of the Moog S-250 in Hover

Acoustic predictions were made on the Moog S-250 vehicle to assess one of NASA’s mid-fidelity prediction toolchains for Urban Air Mobility-type vehicles. Experimental data from a 60-foot hover test is used for comparison. The S-250 is an RPM-controlled vehicle in a quadcopter-type configuration with four sets of contra-rotating rotors and powered by eight independently controlled electric motors. The same type of rotor blade used on the S-250 was 3D laser scanned to enable the development of custom-made airfoil tables and more accurate blade loadings. Noise predictions at the first couple of blade-pass frequencies indicate a good comparison to experimental data.

Acoustic prediction↗
NASA NTRS2001

Full-Span Tiltrotor Aeroacoustic Model (TRAM) Overview and 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel Test

Most helicopter data trends cannot be extrapolated to tiltrotors because blade geometry and aerodynamic behavior, as well as rotor and fuselage interactions, are significantly different for tiltrotors. A tiltrotor model has been developed to investigate the aeromechanics of tiltrotors, to develop a comprehensive database for validating tiltrotor analyses, and to provide a research platform for supporting future tiltrotor designs. The Full-Span Tiltrotor Aeroacoustic Model (FS TRAM) is a dual-rotor, powered aircraft model with extensive instrumentation for measurement of structural and aerodynamic loads. This paper will present the Full-Span TRAM test capabilities and the first set of data obtained during a 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel test conducted in late 2000 at NASA Ames Research Center. The Full-Span TRAM is a quarter-scale representation of the V-22 Osprey aircraft, and a heavily instrumented NASA and U.S. Army wind tunnel test stand. Rotor structural loads are monitored and recorded for safety-of-flight and for information on blade loads and dynamics. Left and right rotor balance and fuselage balance loads are monitored for safety-of-flight and for measurement of vehicle and rotor aerodynamic performance. Static pressure taps on the left wing are used to determine rotor/wing interactional effects and rotor blade dynamic pressures measure blade airloads. All of these measurement capabilities make the FS TRAM test stand a unique and valuable asset for validation of computational codes and to aid in future tiltrotor designs. The Full-Span TRAM was tested in the NASA Ames Research Center 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel from October through December 2000. Rotor and vehicle performance measurements were acquired in addition to wing pressures, rotor acoustics, and Laser Light Sheet (LLS) flow visualization data. Hover, forward flight, and airframe (rotors off) aerodynamic runs were performed. Helicopter-mode data were acquired during angle of attack and thrust sweeps for a variety of tunnel speeds. Wake geometry images were acquired using LLS photographs and suggest dual tip vortex formation at low thrust conditions. The full paper will include comparisons to isolated-rotor TRAM data acquired at the Duits-Nederlandse Windtunnel (DNW) in 1998. The FS TRAM has been established as a valuable national asset for tiltrotor research. Data reduction and analysis of the 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel test results are underway. Follow-on testing of the FS TRAM is currently being planned for the NASA Ames 80- by 120-Foot Wind Tunnel in late 2001.

McCluer, Megan S.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A prediction of high-speed rotor noise

A combined computational (CFD) and integral approach solves the acoustic pressure fields of two high-speed helicopter rotors. A CFD code supplies boundary data to a non-linear type of Kirchhoff integral formulation to find the far-field pressures. Direct calculations of pressures are given by the CFD code up to the sonic cylinder where the Kirchhoff method takes over. This paper shows predictions and measurements of High-Speed Impulsive (HSI) noise in hover for two different rotor geometries. One rotor has a conventional rectangular planform, while the other rotor is highly swept and tapered. The swept rotor analysis forms the majority of this paper. Test data from both rotors are shown and compared with predictions for a range of tip Mach numbers from .85 to .95 (including delocalization). The correlation with the near-field pressures from the straight bladed experiment is excellent and good to excellent correlation is seen for the far-field pressures from both experiments.

Purcell, Timothy W.↗
NASA NTRS1978

VALT parameter identification flight test

The paper describes a method of establishing the accuracy of previously developed analytical models of research vehicles for a program for developing avionics technology for VTOL aircraft. The research vehicle is a Boeing-Vertol CH-47 tandem rotor transport helicopter equipped with a fly-by-wire control system. The specialized flight test was designed to take into account the presence of winds at flight conditions from hover through transition to cruise. The test provided data to obtain estimates of derivatives by parameter identification.

Tomaine, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Directional handling qualities requirements for nap-of-the-earth tasks

A piloted similator experiment designed to investigate directional axis handling qualities requirements for low-speed and hover tasks conducted by a scout/attack helicopter is described. Included were the directional characteristics of various candidate light helicopter family (LHX) configurations. The test also focused on conventional single main/tail rotor configurations where the first-order effects that contribute to the loss of tail rotor control experienced by the OH-58 series aircraft were modeled. Two types of yaw stability and control augmentation systems were implemented: washed-out yaw rate feedback and shaped control input, and a yaw rate command, heading-hold system. The results of the experiment indicate that rotorcraft configurations with high directional gust sensitivity require more yaw damping to maintain satisfactory handling qualities during nap-of-the-earth (NOE) flying tasks. It was also determined that both yaw damping and control response are critical handling qualities parameters in performing the air-to-air target acquisition and tracking task. The lack of substantial yaw damping and larger values of gust sensitivity increased the possibility of loss of directional control at low airspeeds for the tail rotor configurations.

Bivens, C. C.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Wind Tunnel and Hover Performance Test Results for Multicopter UAS Vehicles

There is currently a lack of published data for the performance of multicopter unmanned aircraft system (UAS) vehicles, such as quadcopters and octocopters, often referred to collectively as drones. With the rapidly increasing popularity of multicopter UAS, there is interest in better characterizing the performance of this type of aircraft. By studying the performance of currently available vehicles, it will be possible to develop models for vehicles at this scale that can accurately predict performance and model trajectories. This paper describes a wind tunnel test that was recently performed in the U.S. Army's 7- by 10-ft Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center. During this wind tunnel entry, five multicopter UAS vehicles were tested to determine forces and moments as well as electrical power as a function of wind speed, rotor speed, and vehicle attitude. The test is described here in detail, and a selection of the key results from the test is presented.

Multicopter UAS↗
NASA NTRS1981

RSRA vertical drag test report

The Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA), because of its ability to measure rotor loads, was used to conduct an experiment to determine vertical drag, tail rotor blockage, and thrust augmentation as affected by ground clearance and flight velocity. The RSRA was flown in the helicopter configuration at speeds from 0 to 15 knots for wheel heights from 5 to 150 feet, and to 60 knots out of ground effect. The vertical drag trends in hover, predicted by theory and shown in model tests, were generally confirmed. The OGE hover vertical drag is 4.0 percent, 1.1 percent greater than predicted. The vertical drag decreases rapidly as wheel height is reduced, and is zero at a wheel height of 6 feet. The vertical drag also decreases with forward speed, approaching zero at sixty knots. The test data show the effect of wheel height and forward speed on thrust, gross weight capability, and power, and provide the relationships for power and collective pitch at constant gross weight required for the simulation of helicopter takeoffs and landings.

Flemming, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1946

Static-thrust Investigation of Full-scale PV-2 Helicopter Rotors Having NACA 0012.6 and 23012.6 Airfoil Sections

An investigation was conducted to compare the performance of two 25-ft-diam rotors which had identical dimensions and were similar in construction but different in blade airfoil-sections. Tests were conducted at indicated blade pitch angles from 3 degrees to 11.5 degrees and rotor speeds of 200, 290, and 371 rpm. The 23012.6 rotor required 2 percent less power to hover than the 0012.6. At thrust coefficients above design, the performance of the 23012.6 became better than the 0012.6 rotor.

PROPELLERS, HELICOPTER - P-V ENG FORUM 2↗
NASA NTRS1983

Frequency-domain identification of XV-15 tilt-rotor aircraft dynamics

Frequency-domain methods are used to identify the open-loop dynamics of the XV-15 tilt-rotor aircraft from flight tests. Piloting and data analysis techniques are presented to determine frequency response plots and equivalent transfer function models. The open-loop pitch and roll dynamics for the hover flight condition exhibit unstable low-frequency oscillations, whereas the dynamics in the remaining degrees of freedom are lightly damped and generally decoupled. Comparisons of SV-13 flight-test and simulator data are more favorable for high-frequency inputs (omega greater than 1.0 rad/sec) than low-frequency inputs. The identification of symmetric and asymmetric beam-bending modes compares favorably with previous flight-test data. The results presented in this paper demonstrate the utility of the frequency-domain techniques for dynamics identification and simulator fidelity studies.

Tischler, M. B.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A free-wake rotor analysis including ground effect

The objective of this work is to develop a computer program which analytically estimates the wake geometry, vorticity, and velocity distribution over a rotor and in the neighboring airflow for a variety of conditions in and out of ground effect. The resulting wake is used to provide an assessment of the blade loading distribution for various hover and low speed flight conditions. The computer program is based on a lifting line free wake model and provides stable solutions for a variety of steady state conditions, including ground effect and forward flight. The wake program was validated by comparing the computed wake geometry and experimental test data for two different rotors.

Saberi, H. A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

A summary of wind tunnel research on tilt rotors from hover to cruise flight

An experimental research program has been conducted on a series of tilt rotors designed for a range of blade twist in various wind tunnel facilities. The objective was to obtain precise results on the influence of blade twist and aeroelasticity on tilt rotor performance, from hover to high speed cruise Mach number of about 0.7. global forces on the rotor, local loads and blade torsional deflection measurements were compared with theoretical predictions inside a large Reynolds-Mach envelope. Testing techniques developed during the program are described.

Poisson-Quinton, PH.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Analysis of a Hovering Rotor in Icing Conditions

A high fidelity analysis method is proposed to evaluate the ice accumulation and the ensuing rotor performance degradation for a helicopter flying through an icing cloud. The process uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) coupled to a rotorcraft comprehensive code to establish the aerodynamic environment of a trimmed rotor prior to icing. Based on local aerodynamic conditions along the rotor span and accounting for the azimuthal variation, an ice accumulation analysis using NASA's Lewice3D code is made to establish the ice geometry. Degraded rotor performance is quantified by repeating the high fidelity rotor analysis with updates which account for ice shape and mass. The process is applied on a full-scale UH-1H helicopter in hover using data recorded during the Helicopter Icing Flight Test Program.

Narducci, Robert↗
NASA NTRS1986

Analytical investigation of rotor wake formation and geometry

A number of refinements in the computer code were worked out and tested. Three codes have been written to date. One program is for an isolated wing and is being used to compare with data for the vortex wake (Weston). The second code is for an isolated wing with a streamwise vortex passing above it. This program is being used to validate the computational procedure for incorporating the vortex into the Euler equation calculations. The third program is the hovering rotor code which is the overall objective of the research. The optimization calculations for a hovering helicopter rotor have been completed.

Miller, R.↗