Helicopter Main Rotor Blade Parametric Design for a Preliminary Aerodynamic Analysis Supported by CFD or Panel Method

Area of Science:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Computational Mechanics

Background:

• Helicopter main rotor design requires advanced optimization methods.
• Current methods often lack integration between geometric modeling and aerodynamic analysis.
• Parametric modeling offers a pathway to flexible and efficient design exploration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a parametric geometric model for a helicopter main rotor blade.
• To integrate this model with various aerodynamic analysis tools.
• To assess the suitability of different computational environments for multidisciplinary optimization.

Main Methods:

• Developed a parametric geometric model using Open GRIP graphical programming.
• Employed panel methods and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solvers for aerodynamic analysis.
• Compared simulation results with analytical calculations for validation.

Main Results:

• Successfully created a parametric main rotor blade model.
• Aerodynamic performance was evaluated using both panel methods and CFD.
• Results from different analysis tools were compared for optimization loop applicability.

Conclusions:

• The integrated parametric modeling and aerodynamic analysis approach provides a foundation for helicopter rotor optimization.
• This preliminary work enables new design options for main rotors.
• The developed methodology facilitates the preliminary design of a main rotor spiral within an optimization framework.