ROTOR LOAD CORRELATION WITH THE A.S.P. BLADE

A new composite blade has been designed to improve high speed performance using advanced multi-profile sections and a swept tip. Flight test results are compared with standard blade measurements to analyse the influence of the new design on performance, rotor loads and aircraft vibration. Correlations are presented between measured bending moment distributions and theoretical rotor load predictions. The analytical model is used in gaining insight to explain the different structural load characteristics of the two blades. In particular, the aeroelastic design features of the advanced blade are discussed in relation to the mechanisms responsible for the significant reduction in vibration that was achieved.