Airloads Measurements from a 1/4-Scale Tiltrotor Wind Tunnel Test

Abstract

Blade airloads data were acquired for a 1/4-scale tiltrotor model tested at the Duits-Nederlandse Windtunnel in The Netherlands. For the first time, detailed airloads measurements were acquired for an isolated tiltrotor model utilizing 150 dynamic pressure transducers. Simultaneous acoustic measurements were made in a plane below the model rotor to correlate airloads with tiltrotor noise. Rotor performance data and wake geometry data also were acquired. Samples of the airloads data are presented for several key operating conditions. The effects of rotor thrust and model shaft angle on the blade airloads are discussed. Comparisons are made between blade pressure data, acoustic data, and laser light sheet results. Negative lift at the blade tip was found over a wide range of conditions for the tiltrotor in helicopter mode. Single and multiple blade-vortex interactions were measured and correlated with acoustic data and measured wake geometry. The data acquired during this test provide a fundamental set of aeroacoustic measurements that can be used to validate tiltrotor analyses.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1999
Accession Number
ADA531337

Entities

People

  • Alexandra A. Swanson
  • Gloria K. Yamauchi
  • Megan S. Mccluer
  • Stephen M. Swanson

Organizations

  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acoustic Measurement
  • Acoustics
  • Aircraft Industry
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Dynamic Pressure
  • Frequency
  • Helicopter Rotors
  • Helicopters
  • Measurement
  • Pressure Measurement
  • Pressure Transducers
  • Rotary Wing Aircraft
  • Tilt Rotor Aircraft
  • Tilt Wing Aircraft
  • Wind Tunnel Tests
  • Wind Tunnels

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerodynamics.
  • Fluid Dynamics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy