• International Journal of Control, Automation, and Systems
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.24-34
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• 2007

Closed-loop active twist control of integral helicopter rotor blades is investigated in this paper for reducing hub vibration induced in forward flight. A four-bladed fully articulated integral twist-actuated rotor system has been designed and tested successfully in wind tunnel in open-loop actuation. The integral twist deformation of the blades is generated using active fiber composite actuators embedded in the composite blade construction. An analytical framework is developed to examine integrally twisted helicopter blades and their aeroelastic behavior during different flight conditions. This aeroelastic model stems from a three-dimensional electroelastic beam formulation with geometrical-exactness, and is coupled with finite-state dynamic inflow aerodynamics. A system identification methodology that assumes a linear periodic system is adopted to estimate the harmonic transfer function of the rotor system. A vibration minimizing controller is designed based on this result, which implements a classical disturbance rejection algorithm with some modifications. Using the established analytical framework, the closed-loop controller is numerically simulated and the hub vibratory load reduction capability is demonstrated.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.137-147
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• 2006

In this study, shape memory alloy damper with characteristics of pseudoelastic hysteresis for helicopter rotor blades are investigated. SMAs can be available in damping augmentation of vibrating structures. SMAs show large hysteresis in the process of pseudoelastic austenite-martensite phase transformation which takes place while subjected to loading above the austenite finish temperature. Since SMAs display pseudoelastic hysteresis behavior over large strain ranges, a significant amount of energy dissipation is possible. A damper can be designed with SMA wires prestressed to a baseline level somewhere in the middle of the pseudoelastic stress range. An experimental study of the effects of pre-strain and cyclic strain amplitude as well as frequency on the damping behavior of pseudoelastic shape memory alloy wires are performed. The effects of the shape memory alloy damper on aeroelastic and ground resonance stability of helicopter are studied. In aeroelastic stability, the dynamic characteristics of blades related to pitch angle and the amplitude of lag motion for the rotor equipped with SMA damper were examined. The performance of SMA damper on ground resonance instability are presented through the frequencies and modal damping with respect to rotating speed.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartA
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• v.14A no.5
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• pp.255-262
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• 2007

Physically-based researches on simulating helicopter motions have been achieved in the field of aeronautics, aerodynamics and others. These results, however, have not been appled in the computer graphics area, mainly due to their complex equations and heavy computations. In this paper, we propose a dynamics model of helicopter rotor blades, which would be easy to implement, and suitable for real-time simulations of helicopters in the computer graphics area. Helicopters fly by the forces due to the collisions between air and rotor blades. These forces can be interpreted as the impulsive forces between the fluid and the rigid body. Based on these impulsive forces, we propose an approximated dynamics model of rotor blades, and it enables us to simulate the helicopter motions using existing rigid body simulation methods. We compute forces due to the movement of rotor blades according to the Newton's method, to achieve its real-time computations. Our prototype implementation shows real-time aerial navigation of helicopters, which are murk similar to the realistic motions.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2005

An aerodynamic shape optimization technique has been developed for helicopter rotor blades in hover based on a continuous adjoint method on unstructured meshes. The Euler flow solver and the continuous adjoint sensitivity analysis were formulated on the rotating frame of reference for hovering rotor blades. In order to handle the repeated evaluation of the design cycle efficiently, the flow and adjoint solvers were parallelized using a domain decomposition strategy. A solution-adaptive mesh refinement technique was adopted for the accurate capturing of the tip vortex. Applications were made for the aerodynamic shape optimization of Caradonna-Tung rotor blades and UH60 rotor blades in hover. The results showed that the present method is an effective tool to determine optimum aerodynamic shapes of rotor blades requiring less torque while maintaining the desired thrust level.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.1-7
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• 2010

Fatigue properties of composite materials are extremely important to design durable and reliable helicopter rotor blades. However, it is very difficult to apply conventional fatigue test loads in short period. Therefore, accelerating test speed and facilitating spectrum load realization are required. In this study, we have developed a fatigue testing method that uses a resonance of simply supported beam type blade specimen. This test consists in exciting the blade specimen with a frequency that corresponds to its natural frequency. In that case, the test specimen similar to a beam fixed between two pivot points starts vibrating and is significantly deformed. Resonant fatigue tests were performed by changing exciting vertical amplitude and frequency, and S-N curves of each composite materials were successfully obtained.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 2009

In this study, an assessment is made for the helicopter vibration reduction of composite rotor blades using an active twist control concept. The piezoceramic shear actuation mechanism along with elastic couplings of composite blades is used for vibration reduction. The rotor blades are modeled as composite box-beams with actuator layers bonded on the outer surfaces of the thin-walled section. The governing equations of motion for helicopter blades are obtained using Hamilton's principle. A time domain unsteady aerodynamic theory with free wake model is used to obtain the airloads. Various rotor configurations with different elastic couplings with appropriate actuator placement are used to investigate the hub vibration characteristics. Numerical results show that a substantial reduction of $N_b$/rev hub vibration can be achieved using the optimal control algorithm.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.41-46
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• 2014

Fatigue evaluations for the rotor blades of commercial or military rotorcraft have been carried out using the safe life concept since 1950s. Particularly, in the case of a rotor blade made of a composite material, a highly reliable fatigue life could be predicted by evaluation the cumulative damage using combination of fatigue life curve and load spectrum. However, there is a limit in adequately evaluating the strength reducing phenomena caused by damages or defects generated during the manufacturing process or impact damage induced by operational usages, using only the safe life concept. In this study, the fatigue evaluation process based on the damage tolerance concept is described and illustrated by means of successful application to substantiate the retirement time of composite rotor blades.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.243-257
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• 2007

A numerically efficient superelement is proposed as a low degree of freedom model for dynamic analysis of rotating tapered beams. The element uses a combination of polynomials and trigonometric functions as shape functions in what is also called the Fourier-p approach. Only a single element is needed to obtain good modal frequency prediction with the analysis and assembly time being considerably less than for conventional elements. The superelement also allows an easy incorporation of polynomial variations of mass and stiffness properties typically used to model helicopter and wind turbine blades. Comparable results are obtained using one superelement with only 14 degrees of freedom compared to 50 conventional finite elements with cubic shape functions with a total of 100 degrees of freedom for a rotating cantilever beam. Excellent agreement is also shown with results from the published literature for uniform and tapered beams with cantilever and hinged boundary conditions. The element developed in this work can be used to model rotating beam substructures as a part of complete finite element model of helicopters and wind turbines.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.19-19
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• 2009

Dynamic Stall is a flow phenomenon which occurs on the retreating side of helicopter rotor blades during forward flight. It also occurs on blades of stall regulated wind turbines under yawing conditions as well as during gust loads. Time scales occurring during this process are comparable on both helicopter and wind turbine blades. Dynamic Stall limits the speed of the helicopter and its manoeuvrability and limits the amount of power production of wind turbines. Extensive numerical as well as experimental investigations have been carried out recently to get detailed insight into the very complex flow structures of the Dynamic Stall process. Numerical codes have to be based on the full equations, i.e. the Navier-Stokes equations to cover the scope of the problems involved: Time dependent flow, unsteady flow separation, vortex development and shedding, compressibility effects, turbulence, transition and 3D-effects, etc. have to be taken into account. In addition to the numerical treatment of the Dynamic Stall problem suitable wind tunnel experiments are inevitable. Comparisons of experimental data with calculated results show us the state of the art and validity of the CFD-codes and the necessity to further improve calculation procedures. In the present paper the phenomenon of Dynamic Stall will be discussed first. This discussion is followed by comparisons of some recently obtained experimental and numerical results for an oscillating helicopter airfoil under Dynamic Stall conditions. From the knowledge base of the Dynamic Stall Problems, the next step can be envisaged: to control Dynamic Stall. The present discussion will address two different Dynamic Stall control methodologies: the Nose-Droop concept and the application of Leading Edge Vortex Generators (LEVoG's) as examples of active and passive control devices. It will be shown that experimental results are available but CFD-data are only of limited comparison. A lot of future work has to be done in CFD-code development to fill this gap. Here mainly 3D-effects as well as improvements of both turbulence and transition modelling are of major concern.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society For Composite Materials Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.91-94
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• 2004

A cyclocopter with the cycloidal blades system can be the type of UAV which can combine the high-speed characteristics of the conventional airplane with the low-speed characteristics of the helicopter. The cycloidal blades system, which can be described as a horizontal rotary wing, offers powerful thrust levels, and a unique ability to change the direction of the thrust almost instantly. Rotor blades are designed to withstand tremendous transverse centrifugal loadings, and responding to a number of aerodynamic harmonic vibratory forcing frequencies. To reduce the weight and increase the strength, the blades are made of composite materials. The blades consist of the skin, spar, and trailing stiffener. In this study, static and dynamic behaviors of cyclocopter rotor blades are analyzed by using MSC/NASTRAN.