Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T07:12:47.686Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

UH-60A helicopter rotor airloads measured in flight

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2016

R. M. Kufeld  and
W. G. Bousman
R. M. Kufeld
Affiliation:
Aerospace Engineer Nasa Ames Research Center Moffett Field, California, USA
W. G. Bousman
Affiliation:
Research Scientist US Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate (Atcom) Moffett Field, California, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The flight test phase of the Nasa-Army UH-60A Airloads Program was completed in February 1994. The objective of the project was to measure the airloads in flight on an UH-60A Black Hawk using 221 blade pressure transducers installed in nine radial arrays. In addition, 21 transducers were installed along the blade leading edge to better identify blade-vortex interaction phenomena. This paper briefly describes the program's background and history, instrumentation, and data acquisition. Airloads data are presented for two test conditions with different levels of complexity: steady, level flight and a diving turn. These flight data provide useful information of relatively simple and complex nonlinear flow for the validation of theoretical analyses. Evidence of shock waves, reverse flow, dynamic stall and blade vortex interactions are presented.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 101 , Issue 1005 , May 1997 , pp. 217 - 227
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 1997 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Hooper, W.E. The vibratory airloading of helicopter rotors, Vertica, 1994,8,(2).Google Scholar
2. Rabbott, J.P. and Churchill, G.B. Experimental investigation of the aerodynamic loading on a helicopter rotor blade in forward flight, NACA RM L56107, 1956.Google Scholar
3. Burpo, F. Measurements of dynamic airloads on a full scale semi rigid rotor, TCREC TR 62-42, 1962.Google Scholar
4. Scheiman, J. A tabulation of helicopter rotor blade differential pressures, stresses, and motions as measured in flight, NASA TM X-952, March 1964.Google Scholar
5. Rabbott, J.P., Lizak, A.A. and Paglino, V.M. A presentation of measured and calculated full-scale rotor blade aerodynamic and structural loads, USAA VLABS TR 66-31, 1966.Google Scholar
6. Rabbott, J.P., Lizak, A.A. and Paglino, V.M. Tabulated CH-34 blade surface pressures measured at Nasa/Ames full scale wind tunnel, SER-58399, December 1965.Google Scholar
7. Pruyn, R.R. In-Flight Measurement of rotor blade airloads, bending moments, and motions, together with rotor shaft loads and fuselage vibration, on a tandem rotor helicopter, USAAVLABS TR 67-9A,1967.Google Scholar
8. Beno, E.A. CH-53A main rotor and stabilizer vibratory airloads and forces, SER 65593, June 1970.Google Scholar
9. Shockey, G.A., Cox, C.R. and Williamson, J.W. AH-1G helicopter aerodynamic and structural loads survey, USAAMRDL TR 76-39, 1977.Google Scholar
10. Cross, J.L. and Watts, M.E. Tip aerodynamics and acoustics test, NASA RP 1179, December 1988.Google Scholar
11. Cross, J.L. and Tu, W. Tabulation of data from the tip aerodynamics and acoustics test, NASA TM 102280, November 1990.Google Scholar
12. Heffernan, R.M. and Gaubert, M. Structural and aerodynamic loads and performance measurements of an SA349/2 helicopter with an advanced geometry rotor, NASA TM 88370, November 1986.Google Scholar
13. Bartsch, E.A. In-flight measurement and correlation with theory of blade airloads and responses on the XH-51 A compound helicopter rotor, Volume I: Measurement and data reduction of airloads and structural loads, USAAVLABS TR 68-28A, 1968.Google Scholar
14. Fenaughty, R. and Beno, E. NH-3A vibratory airloads and vibratory rotor loads, SER 611493, January 1970.Google Scholar
15. Watts, M.E. and Cross, J.L. The Nasa modern technology rotors program, AIAA 3rd Flight Test Conference, Las Vegas, NV, April 1986.Google Scholar
16. Snyder, W., Cross, J. and Kufeld, R. Nasa/Army rotor systems flight research leading to the UH-60A airloads program, AHS Specialists Meeting, Innovation in Rotorcraft Test Technologies, Phoenix, AZ, October 1990.Google Scholar
17. Kufeld, R. and Loschke, P. UH-60 airloads program: status and plans, AIAA Aircraft Design, Systems, and Operations Meeting, Baltimore, MD, September 1991.Google Scholar
18. Lim, J.W. and Anastassiades, T. Correlation of 2GCHAS analysis with experimental data, American Helicopter Society Aeromechanics Specialists Conference, San Francisco, CA, January 1994.Google Scholar
19. Lim, J.W. Analytical investigation of UH-60A flight blade airloads and loads data, American Helicopter Society 51st Annual Forum Proceedings, Fort Worth, TX, May 1995.Google Scholar
20. Lorber, P.F., Stauter, R.C., and Landgrebe, A.J. A comprehensive hover test of the airloads and airflow of an extensively instrumented model helicopter rotor, American Helicopter Society 45th Annual Forum, Boston, MA, May 1989.Google Scholar
21. Lorber, P.F. Aerodynamic results of a pressure-instrumented model rotor test at the DNW, J Ameri Heli Soc, October 1991, 36, (4).Google Scholar
22. Buckanin, R.M., Gould, W., Losier, P.W., Downey, D.A., Lockwood, R., Webre, J.L., Hagan, J.F., Cason, R.W. and Young, C.J. Rotor systems evaluation, Phase I, AEFA Project No. 85-15, March 1988.Google Scholar
23. Cross, J., Brilla, J., Kufeld, R. and Balouch, D. The modern rotor aerodynamic limits survey: a report and data survey, NASA TM 4446, October 1993.Google Scholar
24. Kufeld, R., Balough, D., Cross, J., Studebaker, K., Jennison, C. and Bousman, W. Flight testing the UH-60A airloads aircraft, American Helicopter Society 50th Annual Forum, Washington DC, May 1994.Google Scholar
25. Gagnon, R. Sub-miniature sensor installation for UH-60A main rotor blade air loads flight test program, International Telemetry Conference, San Diego, CA, 1989.Google Scholar
26. Hamade, K. and Kufeld, R. Modal analysis of UH-60A instrumented rotor blades, NASA TM 4239, November 1990.Google Scholar
27. Balough, D.L. Estimation of rotor flapping response using blade-mounted accelerometers, American Helicopter Society Aeromechanics Specialists Conference, San Francisco, CA, January 1994.Google Scholar
28. Studebaker, K.F. A survey of hub vibration for the UH-60A airloads research aircraft, American Helicopter Society Aeromechanics Specialists Conference, San Francisco, CA, January 1994.Google Scholar
29. Durno, J.A., Howland, G.R. and Twomey, W. Comparison of Black Hawk shake test results with nastran finite element analysis, American Helicopter Society 43rd Annual Forum Proceedings, St Louis, MO, May 1987.Google Scholar
30. Kufeld, R.M., Bousman, W.G. and Cross, J.L. A Survey of rotor loads distribution in maneuvering flight, American Helicopter Society Aeromechanics Specialists Conference, San Francisco, CA, January 1994.Google Scholar
31. Mueller, A.W., Conner, D.A., Rutledge, C.K. and Wilson, M.R. Full scale flight acoustic results for the UH-60A airloads aircraft, American Helicopter Society Vertical Lift Aircraft Design Conference, San Francisco, CA, January 1995.Google Scholar
32. Operator's manual for army models UH-60A helicopters, Department of the Army, US Army, August 1994, TM 1-1520-237-10.Google Scholar
33. Coleman, C.P. and Bousman, W.G. Aerodynamic limitations of the UH-60A rotor, American Helicopter Society Aeromechanics Specialists Conference, San Francisco, CA, January 1994.Google Scholar
34. Bousman, W.G. The response of helicopter rotors to vibratory airloads, J Ameri Heli Soc, October 1990,35, (4) pp 53–62.Google Scholar
35. Tung, C., Bousman, W.G. and Low, S. A Comparison of airloads data between model-scale rotor and full-scale flight test, American Helicopter Society Aeromechanics Technology and Product Design Conference, Bridgeport, CT, October 1995.Google Scholar
36. Wilby, P.G., Young, C. and Grant, J. An investigation of the influence of fuselage flow field on rotor loads and the effects of vehicle configuration, Vertica, 1979,3.Google Scholar
37.Kufeld, R.M. and Bousman, W.G., High load conditions measured on an UH-60A in maneuvering flight, American Helicopter Society 51st Annual Forum Proceedings, Fort Worth, TX, May 1995.Google Scholar