AN INVERSE AERODYNAMIC DESIGN METHOD FOR ROTOR BLADES IN FORWARD FLIGHT

An aerodynamic design methodology for multipoint design of helicopter rotors is presented. This technique allows the designer to prescribe surface pressure distributions at a number of radial and azimuthal locations. The design process generates airfoil sections that will meet these targets in a least square sense. Sample results are presented for a rotor in hover and a rotor in forward flight. It is demonstrated that this approach can be used either to increase the thrust coefficient or reduce torque requirements, in hover and forward flight.