Experimental Investigation of Gust Response of Hingeless Helicopter Rotors.

Abstract

The response to wind gusts of a 1/10-scale hingeless helicopter rotor model in hovering and forward flight is studied experimentally through wind tunnel testing. The experimental program involving design, construction, and testing of a five-foot-diameter rotor utilizing either three NACA 0012 planform blades or one operable blade with two dummy blades is described. The rotor design is such that the the torsional stiffness of the blade assembly as well as the blade chordwise center-of-gravity location can be varied during the various phases of the test. Wind tunnel testing incorporates the variation of wind tunnel speed and the application of variable frequency, sinusoidal waveform gusts. The flap, lag, and torsional response of the rotor in its various configurations was measured and compared with theoretical predictions. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1977
Accession Number
ADA054752

Entities

People

  • Charles A. Vehlow

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Blades
  • Construction
  • Couplings
  • Frequency
  • Generators
  • Helicopter Rotors
  • Leading Edges
  • Massachusetts
  • Measurement
  • Models
  • Oscilloscopes
  • Resonant Frequency
  • Standards
  • Tensile Strength
  • Wind Tunnel Models
  • Wind Tunnel Tests
  • Wind Tunnels

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering