Blade Element Theory in Forward

Flight

• Although forward flight is very difficult to model

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 1
 Blade Forces
• The incremental lift dL is:

• The incremental drag dD is:

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 2
 Blade Forces
• We had already seen that the incremental force
perpendicular to the rotor plane:

• The incremental force in the rotor plane

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 3
 Velocities
• In forward flight the velocities :
– are periodic,
– depend on the blade azimuthal position
– the in plane velocity will have two components:
• Due to the rotation
• Due to the forward velocity
– The out-of-plane velocity will have three components
• Induced velocity
• Due to flapping
• Due to the coning angle

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 4
 Velocities
V∞
• The in plane velocity is:

V∞
y V∞cosψ

V∞sinψ
ψ

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 5
 Velocities

• Out of plane velocity

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 6
 Velocities
• There is still a radial velocity:

• The Non-dimensional velocities are:

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 7
 Blade Element Theory in Forward
Flight
• In the BET in forward flight we have taken into
account:
– Blade pitch
– Flapping motion
• We need to know the induced velocity field which
depends on the rotor wake which depends on the
rotor thrust, flapping, trim state and airloads
distribution.
• Let’s analysed the rotor performance using
simple inflow models
Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 8
 Linear inflow model
• In-flight measurements on the time-average
induced velocity showed that the longitudinal
inflow variation to be approximately linear.
– During the transition from hover to forward flight the is a
region (0.0≤µ≤0.1) where the induced velocity is non-
uniform
– In higher speed forward flight (µ≥0.1) the time-average
longitudinal inflow becomes more linear and can be
represented by:

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 9
 Linear inflow model
• The value λ0 is mean induced velocity at the
center of the rotor, given by the momentum theory

• And the value of kx=1.2

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 10
 Linear inflow model
• A variation of these result can be expressed if we
consider both longitudinal and lateral variation:

Author(s) kx ky
Coleman et. Al. 0
Drees -2µ
Payne 0
White & Blake 0
Pitt & Peters 0
Howlett 0
Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 11
 Wake Skew Angle
• In the
previous
expressions χ
is the wake
skew angle
and is given
by:

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 12
 Modelo de Mangler & Squire
• Mangler & Squire developed a model using
incompressible linearized Euler equations to relate the
pressure field across the disk to a inflow
• The disk loading is a Linear combination of two
fundamental shapes:
– Type 1 (m=1) Elliptical loading
– Type 3 (m=3) that tends to zero at the blade tip and root
• The pressure loading is given by:

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 13
 Inflow model of Mangler & Squire
• The inflow ratio is given by a Fourier series:

• Where α is the disk angle of attack and cn are

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 14
 Inflow model of Mangler & Squire
• For the Type 1 loading the coefficients are:

• For even

• For odd
Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 15
 Inflow model of Mangler & Squire
• For Type 3 loading the coefficients are:

• For odd
Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 16
 Inflow model of Mangler & Squire
• For even

• With

• And the disk loading is a linear combination of

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 17
 Inflow model of Mangler & Squire
• The main disadvantage of the theory is that
it requires the aerodynamic loading on the
rotor to be known or assumed a priori
• The theory is valid for hover and high
forward velocities. It is not valid for low
advance velocities since the assumed
velocity relation is not valid.

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 18
 Model comparison

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 19
 Model comparison

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 20
 Model comparison

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 21
 Model comparison

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Blade Element Theory in Forward Flight Slide 22