A Study of the Effect of Design Parameter Variation on Predicted Tilt-Rotor Aircraft Performance

Abstract

There is currently little data available for trend analyses of tilt- rotor aircraft performance. This study analyzed the sensitivity of predicted tilt-rotor performance to variations in six design parameters: disk loading, tip speed, solidity, download, wing loading, and wing thickness ratio. Two mission profiles were analyzed: A combat search-and-rescue mission and an antisubmarine warfare mission. A tilt-rotor preliminary design code was used to perform computer simulations; and data available from independent tests completed by NASA and the military were encoded in the input data decks. Results were presented as graphs of performance aspects plotted against the parameters varied. Because the study was a trend analysis, no specific conclusions were drawn but a summary was made of the more significant results. It is hoped that the results of this project can serve as a guide to preliminary selection of design parameters for tilt-rotor configurations that would be suitable for a broad range of military and civil applications. Keywords: Parametric analysis; Trade-off analysis; Rotor blade tip speed; Rotor solidity; Download; Theses.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1988
Accession Number
ADA204856

Entities

People

  • Mary C. Dunston

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerodynamic Characteristics
  • Aerodynamic Configurations
  • Aeronautics
  • Aircraft Design
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircrafts
  • Airfoils
  • Airframes
  • Computer Programs
  • Fixed Wing Aircraft
  • Geometry
  • Mach Number
  • Rotary Wing Aircraft
  • Short Takeoff Aircraft
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Tilt Rotor Aircraft
  • Vertical Takeoff Aircraft

Readers

  • Aerodynamics.
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Computational Modeling and Simulation