Initial Assessment of Surface Pressure Characteristics of two Rotary Wing UAV Designs

This paper presents results of an experimental investigation of two rotary-wing UAV designs. The primary goal of the investigation was to provide a set of interactional aerodynamic data for an emerging class of rotorcraft. The present paper provides an overview of the test and an introduction to the test articles, and instrumentation. Sample data in the form of fixed system pressure coefficient response to changes in configuration attitude and flight condition for both rotor off and on conditions are presented. The presence of the rotor is seen to greatly affect the magnitude of the response. Pressure coefficients were measured using both conventional pressure taps and via pressure sensitive paint. Comparisons between the two methods are presented and demonstrate that the pressure sensitive paint is a promising method; however, further work on the technique is required.