Princeton University

.NOTES ON DERIVATION OF EMFIRICAL CHARTS

FOR CALCULATION OF ROTOR BLADE
AIRLOADS

CO
o Department of Aeronautical Engineering

Report No. 458

May, 1959

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NOTES ON DERIVATION OF EMPIRICAL CHARTS

FOR CALCULATION OF ROTOR BLADE
AIRLOADS

Department of Aeronautical Engineering

Report No. 458

May, 1959

By: ÄÄ^4
^
A. A. Nikolsky
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 -1-

Introduction
The calculation of air load distribution along the rotor blades
require^ -the knowledge of the distribution of local angle of attack.
The local angle of attack is dependent, in additiont> the geometric
pitch, on the magnitude and direction of local velocity vectoj, which is
dependent on magnitude of free stream velocity, rotor angle of attack,
azimuthal position of the blade and the effective induced velocity (induced
velocity a.id air mass inertia effects) and can be e>cpressed in the form

1 /«■, • .31. ~V~

The effective induced velocity can be resolved into three mutually

perpendicular components. The axial component is predominant along
most of the blade. At the tip of the blade the predominant components
are axial and radial, however the effect of the lift reduction to zero in
that vicinity can be simply expressed in terms of an effective axial
Induced velocity component. In the regions of flow reversal and
low tangential velocities, the magnitude of tangential component of in-
duced velocity is large by comparison with total tangential velocity, but
since the airloads in those regions are negligeable and U is much
larger than U_, the use of effective axial induced velocity to account
for tangential component is justifiable.

The distribution of effective axial induced velocity component can

be expressed nondimenstonally in the Fourrier form
/
I

-2-

■2g-= X(«) = \04 2X„Cout (2)

The harmonic coefficients vary along the blade and depend on the numbe.
of blades b, rotor angle of attack <X , advance ratio K , blade loading
=; and on hinged blades on blade mass constant Y . (See equation
7).
The above coefficients can be computed from the experimental
pressure distribution data on the rotors with various numbers of blades and
various test conditions. Since the coefficients will be plotted in the non-
dimension , form, they can be used for calculation of airloads on any rotors.
It will be advisable to plot the data first, from the conditions which exclude
the effects of abrupt stall and compressibility and treat those phenomena as
separate corrections. However, the effect of Mach number on the slope
of the blade lift coefficient curves must be accounted In all cases.
It is represented in the following, a suggested method of calculation
of the effective axial component of induced velocity harmonic coefficients on
the stiff blades, from the pressure distribution measurements. The procedure
of computing the airloads on the basis of the plotted coefficients will be
also outlined.

The calculation of harmonic coefficients of effective axial Induced velocity.

It is quite important that the coefficients computed from the experimental
load measurements are reduced to "stiff" blades, in order to make the
results applicable for calculation of loads on blades of any stiffness.
Mr. Robert Loewey suggested, as the result of his investigations,
that a blade can be classified as a "stiff" one if it has a ratio of first
bending frequency to rotating frequency above 4.5. This is quite difficult
to achieve considering that a general trend of that ratio is toward 2.5.
 ■3-

The one way of eliminating the effect of flexibility is to install,

if it is practical, the accelerometers along the blade and measure the
Inertia terms, then by integration determi le total damping loads. Next
find from above, the damping term due to lexibility and subtract the
damping due to flexibility from the total airload to obtain the airload on
a stiff blade
That procedure is, theoretically, quite simple, if the coupling between
bending and torsion is not strong, but becomes quite hairy i f the coupling
is appreciable. It was mentioned, originally, to the writer by Mr. G.
Brooks from NASA.
The distribution of angle of attack along the blade at any azimuth
angle is obtained from the expression for lift .

(3)

where

do
6L /^ -
\H- M*
CLc is a two dimensional slope at low Mach number.
dL
The—-—— term which is obtained from test data can be espressed
dx
in the form

(4)
 -4-

The coefficients Land L . can be computed from the set of

na nb
simultaneous equations taking different blade azimuth positions. Meas-
uring airloads every 30 degrees will permit the computation of the lift
harmonic coefficients up to the 5 th harmonic of V' .
The following table is a matrix far calculation of harmonic lift
coefficients . C "• $J
The five harmonic coefficients and the constant part L (x) at each
blade section are obtained by solving eleven simultaneous equations. The
constant part L (x) is obtained, easily, by averaging the values of "L"
at each blade station.

L.(-0 = iifVMt- +u*,>») (5(5)

/Z
As it was mentioned previously

<XK* - & + 4*^ Vj>r±a+ _

^e* UP
r (i)

For flapping rotors with small hinges, the equation for the velocity component
Up is

C/p r -x £ys- IXSi-R /S<^i f

(6)
+• ft S^IR 4*^ a - v\.
The equation is written in reference to no feathering axis. In the
above, °V. is the rotor angle of attack and is positive, when the free
stream velocity V is directed from underneath the rotor.
v is the effective axial component of induceJ velocity and is
positive when directed downwards.

L
 ja
o

ID LD tO
LO UO LO LD
00 00 lO CO o 00 tO
x» o
to I —<
I

O
n LD to LO LO LO to to to
LO to LO tO LO LO to to
CD CO CO CO CO 00 CO oo
r0

0)
c
o o o o o o
XI o • o • o o • o • o

6
(0
u to to to LO LO LO to to
O to to LO to LD LD LO LO
XI CO CO CO CO CO 00 00 CO
CM

to to to to
in LO tO to to
<D co o co co o co
3
"(0 I
>
01
3
O
--^ o o o O £N I-—\
o c-\ o o o
L. «0
(0 to
> -J 1 1 1 1 1 1

to to to to to
J3 LO to LO
C o co LO LO 00 o CO LO LO CO
10
LO 1—1 1 1 —1 i 1
•-» i
Jo
10
C
c
(0 LO LO LO LO LO LO O LO LO
o I I I I I I I
CO
u
-—*
G o o o o o o
O ro • o .o • o o • o • o
S
u
ro
(0
X

o (0
OLOLOOLOLOOLOLOOLOLO

X CM I r-4 I
•-4
— I I
(0
2 LO to to LO
LD to to to
O CO LO LO CO O CO CO
ro
I

o o o O o o o O O o o
CO LD CD CM LO co 1—1 "* t-* o n
r—4 ^H >—i CM CM OO CO n

., -.k.
 -6-

The flapping angle can be expressed as:

From equation (1) A-v,^ ( t)

(7)

We can see from the above equation that v must be expressed in

terms of trigonometric functions of H" , and is a function of blade pitch
0 = f (—rr ), rotor angle of attack <X , advance ratio hi. , and, because
of [S>o , is also a function of blade mass constant V . It is not
apparent from the equation 7, but the distribution of v is, from the
Intuitive reasoning, a function of number of blades, b.
*2 'ir\ Substituting into equation (7) equations 2 for v ,3 and 4 for ™x,y-
and multiplying both sides by x + R sin V* , we obtain the following
equation for harmonic coefficients of v .

*- <■ •■■■ ' *3 . '■■■

""*' -*"°Ah *:T.(»-■*)*

+■ A 2-
f-*J*
'V k»i
 -7

2_ C"fe^*-*-^ri)^*0Si^*-^

*-?.[ fi^*+(>>-!) ££«??». (*-»J +

Equating the coefficients of similar trigonometric functions in

equation (8) will give us a set of simultaneous equations for harmonic
I **-•-';■ ;Y
; "jt coefficients of induced velocity. If all harmonic coefficients above
, "ft?
■• .>. -is,
the 5th are neglected, we have
...'t^

x\0- ^Cx^/z)-/<*+*** ~t- ^AL ° Äö

«*< (9)
a
■ ■■*>'.■:
•
.
•■ .
-
:#

Vi*..:-" ■ •

(10)

P«H»M-w ^MMMr«.
 -8-

(11)

(12)

- o

/L2£ + /xXw- 2*2^ * KdL^\ (13)

XÄ3
W£x,< -Y >ä^
- it Vv ^ 0
_ 3* «J -4- u ^_hs. \ (14)

»*•«•;

o
(15)

^ Kxd

(-£ \z€ •*-f£ *.*) + Jfe, -o

 -9-

V j ~ J (16)

(17)
/ k \ \ ~~F< J

j^ ^ o

(K Xrg _ <r>*£r +- yk /Z_r<f

(18)
"^Tx" y

- *r

(19)
^

If the solution of induced velocity harmonic coefficients is limited

...
to the third order, only equations 9-15 become valid and the terms underlined
in those equations vanish.

mttifrll*ähmm+*m*m MfrftdiflMMdMi
 ■■ t.!: , * .
•

•10-

Data Presentation

Vertical flight
f = 0

The plot of harmonic coefficients of the effective axial induced

velocity component along the blade will be presented varying the following
parameters
number of blades b «
CT
blade loading ==r-
V-br-g vertical velocity
and the ratio tip speed

The variation of and Y-r is accomplished by varying

collective pitch 9 and torque.
The charts In vertical flight could be of the form

&%

\ (\JJ\X
Forward flight K / 0 V^1^' "*
The charts showing variation of X6. <**£, and «^ ^along
the blades should be prepared for the rotors with different number of blades
n
■v.
;•*$ *k$
■ s
"b" for two or three values of blade mass constant V "n for various values
of the coefficient of advance , blade loading
C
angle of attack ^x . t- 5~
and rotor

The sample chart is presented inpfanm

i *j*t* r. | „ fclfcmi—fc ,Wl I .»».»■. ..~-...._.^: ,i.,:^-,.tfrT ..ff.

»iiKKfc.jB <Bwi>M1 llrfi Mi*h«ddh<*>
 -11-

<r"

The angle of attack " Qt," should be varied from near —-—
which represents a steep climb to near —- which is a steep glide.
It was suggested by Vertol Co., to plot the above coefficients
, C-r * \ 2 X . \ V sirs - V (Glauert)
against — , —~ , and -^p- where \= ^_«

The ratio *7 represents theoretical value of wake skew angle, the

r-
2 > - ratio is proportional to the vertical space (pitch) of the helical
o
vortex pattern beneath the rotor.

JO •;
Calculation of air load distribution on a stiff blade from charts.
The lift airload distribution can be calculated from the expended
dL . If only first harmonic flapping and two harmonics of
expression of -7-7-
Induced velocity are considered, then from Ref. 1 (equation 4.83)
the load contains three harmonics and they are

:
<äv 4u-_ K[e(^±r3^*-±rvi (20)
All
«am
'■■S-.-:v' '•■■!*
■*j$m

e*

.v.-, -r .i-i-^..^, 1 .jfc^ ..a-M-T./£l«. .,-,. ^-

 -12-

(21)

(22)

1.0. (23)

(24)

— X Xt(S - & X,«J

(25)

(26)

, A-i .2 „3o
_£ , \ Vsln ^
Where K= 1/2 P ac-SLR X.-
and >.= ^fc -\-
Parameter 9 is computed from the average thrust of the rotor or

&
*ßiM^-ty^ä^h
 /

-13-

Th e equations for J?>o, a., and b are obtained from the blade moment
equation about the flapping hinge.

(30)

It may be noted that, contrary to dauert's theories, the lateral

flapping is not only direct function of coning but also of sine components
of induced ve'.ocity.
Once these characteristics are known, the lift air load distribution
may be determined by equations 20-26. The torque producing air load
distribution is determined by the standard methods or, for example
,: 1$ ! '

where dD~ is the load due to profile drag.

It may be noted that all computations require knowledge of the
rotor angle of attack " <^". It may be found, that it is more convenient
to treat " <X " and " \L" both as two independent variables, their
magnitude being limited by the power condition.
A sample calculation was presented by the writer and Dr. R.B.
\\ Gray in Ref. 2.
The harmonic coefficients were determined for a specific case
using fl^data of Ref. 3.
 -14-

References

1. Nikolsky, A.A. : "Helicopter Analysis", John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,

New York, 1951.

2. Nikolsky, A. A. and Gray R. B. : "Determination of the effective axial

induced Flow Pattern through a helicopter Rotor from pressure measurements",
Princeton Aeronautical Engineering Departmental Report No. 279, October, 1954,

3. Meyer, John R. Jr. and Falabella, Gaetano Jr. : "An Investigation of the
experimental Aerodynamic loading on a model helicopter rotor blade, NACA
TN2953. May 1953.

-.» -

^ *

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