General Rotor Aerodynamic/Aeroelastic Design Analysis

Effective modelling of transonic flow, viscous effects and the prediction of noise remain serious challenges for existing computational rotorcraft analyses. The goal of this project is to couple new and innovative computational techniques into Continuum Dynamics, Inc.'s RotorCRAFT/AA analysis to address these issues while also allowing the user to easily adjust the physical fidelity of the computational methods to be employed for maximum efficiency. In Phase I, two novel computational methods will be employed for maximum efficiency. In Phase I, two novel computational methods will be incorporated into the present model. The first is a recently developed compressible panel treatment of the lifting surface that will improve the resolution of unsteady subsonic flow configurations. The second, and more ambitious innovation, is a recently developed higher-order compact Euler CFD technique suitable for capturing concentrated vorticity as well as modelling detailed transonic flow phenomena. Once incorporated, this Euler technique will form the basis for a full Navier-Stokes analysis of the flow over the blade. The final product will be a fast, reliable and efficient software package suited for rotor design and analysis that is capable of simulating rotor/wake systems over the full range of relevant airspeeds and flight conditions as user-selected levels of sophistication and calculation speed.