Publicado 4 números por año
ISSN Imprimir: 1065-3090
ISSN En Línea: 1940-4336
Indexed in
FLOW VISUALIZATION INVESTIGATION AROUND HELICOPTER ROTOR BLADE TIPS IN HOVERING FLIGHT
SINOPSIS
Rotor tip vortex formation and roll-up have been investigated using a flow visualization method coupled with a digital image processing technique. Emphasis is placed on the effect of the blade tip shape on the vortex structure and stability along its path. Particular attention is given to the influence of the tip geometry modification on the flowfield generated around the blade and its wake. For each blade configuration, the experiments include visualizations of the vortical structures generated by the blade tip and measurements of the tip vortex path. When compared to the rectangular tips, the evolutive tips are shown significantly to modify the wake geometry and to generate a dual vortex structure that produces a stronger instability of the tip vortex path. This vortex instability significantly affects the airloads distribution along the blade span.