Helicopter BERP Tip
Catherine S. Johnson, Mark A. Woodgate, George N. Barakos · 2017
A variety of methods have been developed, and the majority of the applications have been for cases that require a small computational domain (such as aerofoils) or a simple aerodynamic analysis (such as cases where operation is optimised for a single static condition). The current challenge is to apply these methods to a complex design such as a helicopter rotor blade, where the aerodynamics are complex and change, and the design space has a large number of dimensions, and to do this accurately and efficiently. Optimisation techniques usually require a starting design point, so the design stage is just as important as the optimisation. In the first attempts at optimisation of rotors, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods employed were simplified. The developments made in helicopter rotor blades due to optimisation can be first tested using unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to minimise cost and increase safety.