Test Data Report, Low-Speed Wind Tunnel Drag Test of a 2/5 Scale Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne Door-Hinge Hub

Abstract

The Aviation Development Directorate of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) conducted a drag test of a non-rotating 2/5 scale Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne main rotor hub in the U.S. Army 7 by 10foot Wind Tunnel located at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA. The purpose of the test was to quantify the drag reduction on the Cheyennes unique door hinge style hub when the mechanical control gyro is removed, with the implicit assumption that the control and stabilization functions of the gyro could be replaced by a modern flight control system located somewhere within the aircrafts outer mold line. The model was tested in a number of non-rotating configurations, orientations, and tunnel conditions. Baseline results compared favorably with historical drag measurements, and showed approximately a 50 percent reduction in hub drag with the gyro removed, with an additional 10 percent reduction due to rudimentary streamlining of the bluff outer hub arm.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2016
Accession Number
AD1011994

Entities

People

  • Gerardo Nunez
  • Robert Iii D. Vocke

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Army Aviation
  • Attack Helicopters
  • Control Systems
  • Drag
  • Drag Reduction
  • Dynamic Pressure
  • Engineering
  • Flight Control Systems
  • Helicopters
  • Low Drag
  • Measurement
  • Rotary Wing Aircraft
  • Short Takeoff Aircraft
  • Wind Tunnel Tests
  • Wind Tunnels

Readers

  • Aerodynamics.
  • Aerodynamics/Aeronautics.
  • Aviation Science / Aeronautics.