HELICOPTER SIMULATOR ROTOR DISK AND BLADE ELEMENT COMPARISON

EARLY (1955-1970 VINTAGE) HELICOPTER OFTS USED SIMPLIFIED BLADE ELEMENT MATH MODELS FOR CALCULATING ROTOR FORCES AND MOMENTS. THE COMBINATION OF INACCURATE ASSUMPTIONS IN THE MODELS AND COST/ PERFORMANCE LIMITATIONS OF AVAILABLE COMPUTATIONAL SYSTEMS SOON FORCED DESIGNERS TO ABANDON THE BLADE ELEMENT APPROACH IN FAVOR OF OVERALL ROTOR DISK MODELLING TECHNIQUES. TODSY'S INEXPENSIVE, YET MORE POWERFUL MICROPROCESSORS, OFFER THE OPPORTUNITY OF RECONSIDERING THE BLADE ELEMENT APPROACH WITHOUT RETENTION OF THE INACCURATE ASSUMPTIONS AND WITHOUT SEVERE COST PENALTY. THIS COULD PROVIDE A SIGNIFICANT ENHANCEMENT IN THE FIDELITY OF STATIC AND DYNAMIC ROTOR/MODELLING, COMPARED TO THE BEST THAT CAN BE DONE USING OVERALL ROTOR CALCULATIONS. QUINTRON'S ROTATING BLADE ELEMENT MODEL WILL BE RETROFITTED ON TWO USMC CH-53E OFTS, THEREBY OFFERING AN IDEAL OPPORTUNITY FOR COMPARISON OF PERFORMANE WITH THE EXISTING OVERALL ROTOR MODEL. BOTH MODELS WILL HAVE BEEN VALIDATED BY TEST PILOTS FROM NATC PATUXENT RIVER AND ACCEPTED BY THE NAVAL TRAINING SYSTEMS CENTER.