A NOVEL INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEM FOR MEASUREMENT OF HELICOPTER ROTOR MOTIONS AND LOADS DATA

Recent U.S. Navy-sponsored research has led to the development of a blade-mounted instrumentation system that incorporates several novel features in support of use for Dynamic Interface flight testing applications. The instrumentation incorporates accelerometer sensors for measurement of both blade aeroelastic deflections as well as applied aerodynamic measurement modules that transmit their serial data using an infra-red (IR) link to the helicopter fuselage. Design issues that incorporate requirements for low-cost, ease of installation and removal, self-contained power sources, and secure datalink transmission are detailed and described.