Improvements in the Computational Modeling of Rotor/Fuselage Interactions Using Unstructured Grids

An investigation into the effect of various computational techniques on the rotor / fuselage interactional aerodynamics problem has been undertaken. The results are compared with two experimental models tested at Georgia Tech and NASA Langley. All major features of the wind tunnel geometry are included for both experimental models. The fuselage pressure coefficient prediction obtained with an actuator disk based rotor is found to improve when the low Mach number is appropriately handled, the blade flap velocity is accounted for, and the rotor swirl is modeled. An actuating blade model is shown to be useful for predicting the time variation of the fuselage forces and moments. A comparison of the actuator disk model and the actuating blade model is presented.