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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/R39290/01
Title: Flow control for improvement of rotorcraft performance
Principal Investigator: Gillies, Dr E
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: School of Engineering
Organisation: University of Glasgow
Scheme: Fast Stream
Starts: 01 October 2001 Ends: 31 March 2003 Value (£): 64,328
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Aerodynamics
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Aerospace, Defence and Marine
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
The objective of the proposed work is to perform a feasibility study for application of aerodynamic flow control actuators, such as leading and trailing edge piezo-electric flaps, to the improvement of helicopter rotor blade performance. At the extremes of the helicopter flight envelope, dynamic stall is associated with large blade pitching moments and can introduce negative damping in blade pitch. This negative damping may lead to blade stall flutter and excessive control loads, and therefore limits a portion of the helicopter flight envelope. An actuated rotor blade flap may hold promise for mitigation of the adverse effects of dynamic stall, such as the large pitching moment break and appearance of negative pitch damping. A numerical investigation, using an existing, validated, discrete vortex code, of the effectiveness of actively forced flap actuators will therefore form the focus of the investigation. Aerodynamic flow control, by means of an actively oscillated or pulsed trailing edge flap, is able to influence the blade dynamic lift, pitching moment magnitude and phasing during the dynamic stall process. The research aims to develop, through numerical simulations, an optimum schedule for such a flow control device.
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Organisation Website: http://www.gla.ac.uk