Software Design for CFD Rotary-Wing Aeromechanics Modeling

Helicopter flight involves many multidisciplinary physics problems that are difficult to predict with today’s engineering modeling and simulation tools. Rotor aerodynamic systems involve complex interactions among the rotor blades, rotor wakes, and fuselage, and they create challenges such as simultaneous modeling of rotating and nonrotating components; retreating-blade, low-speed dynamic stall; advancing-blade transonic flow; rotor “trim” requirements to balance aerodynamic and dynamic forces for particular control settings; and strong coupling between rotor-blade aerodynamics and rotor blade dynamics (both rigid and elastic blade motion).