Fairings can significantly improve the aerodynamic performance of helicopters by reducing drag. At the same time, the fairings' design has a significant effect on the vibration characteristics of the helicopter. The control of helicopter vibration through the optimal design of fairings is one of the key problems. To investigate the influence of fairing design on helicopter vibration, a detailed study was conducted based on aerodynamic theory. The influence of attitude and flight velocity changes during forward flight was analyzed. The causes and mechanisms of vibration induced by fairings were clarified, and the critical factors influencing the main vibration problems were obtained.
An engineering example was used to analyze the influence of slightly different fairings on helicopter vibration. Numerical simulation and analysis were carried out for the fuselage flow field at a given indicated airspeed. The results proved that slight differences in fairing design can induce obvious vibration. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize fairing design to reduce vibration. Firstly, a streamlined design should be adopted for fairings to improve aerodynamic performance. Secondly, the locations of fairings must be optimized to avoid the influence of vortex shedding on helicopter structures. Further analysis of the effects of indicated airspeed, descent rate, and other factors shows that helicopter vibration can be significantly reduced by using these methods. It is effective and necessary to address such issues according to the suggestions provided in this paper, which offers valuable guidance for ensuring flight safety.