Citation: Kocjan, J.; Kachel, S.;
Rogólski, R. Helicopter Main Rotor
Blade Parametric Design for a
Preliminary Aerodynamic Analysis
Supported by CFD or Panel Method.
Materials 2022, 15, 4275. https://
doi.org/10.3390/ma15124275
Academic Editors: Panagiotis
G. Asteris and Satyam Panchal
Received: 31 March 2022
Accepted: 13 June 2022
Published: 16 June 2022
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Article
Helicopter Main Rotor Blade Parametric Design for a Preliminary
Aerodynamic Analysis Supported by CFD or Panel Method
Jakub Kocjan
1,
* , Stanisław Kachel
2
and Robert Rogólski
2
1
Doctoral School, Military University of Technology, ul. gen. Sylwestra Kaliskiego 2, 00-908 Warsaw, Poland
2
Faculty of Mechatronics, Armament and Aerospace, Military University of Technology, ul. gen. Sylwestra
Kaliskiego 2, 00-908 Warsaw, Poland; stanislaw.kachel@wat.edu.pl (S.K.); robert.rogolski@wat.edu.pl (R.R.)
* Correspondence: jakub.kocjan@wat.edu.pl
Abstract:
This work is the preliminary part of a research program which is aimed at finding some new
methods and design solutions for helicopter main rotor multidisciplinary optimization. The task was
to develop a parametric geometric model of a single-blade main rotor applicable for varied methods
of numerical aerodynamic modeling. The general analytical assumptions for the parametric main
rotor design were described. The description of the main rotor blade parametric design method based
on Open GRIP graphical programming was presented. Then, the parametric model of a blade was
used for aerodynamic models independently developed for panel method and advanced CFD solver.
The results obtained from the CFD simulations and panel analysis for main rotor aerodynamics
were compared and assessed using analytical calculations. The calculations and simulations for a
single-blade and completed rotor were performed for different helicopter weights and rotor pitch
angles. The results of different computer aerodynamic analysis environments were compared for
the possibility of their application in an optimization loop. This is preliminary work that describes
only a partial problem that could be used in the future as part of a comprehensive methodology
for aerodynamic and structural optimization of a helicopter rotor. As an output of the research,
new options for main rotor optimization are developed. The combined parametric modeling with
aerodynamic analysis, as described in this paper, provide the preliminary design for a main rotor
spiral, as an element of the optimization loop.
Keywords:
helicopter main rotor; rotor blade; geometric modeling; aerodynamic panel method; CFD
1. Introduction
Military rotorcrafts that are currently operating are mostly constructions that were
designed in the second half of the twentieth century. The constructions (in the preliminary
and detail design phases) were prepared with classic mathematical calculations, eventually
supported with CAD. With improved computerized options, design processes have been
fully transferred to virtual environments. New aircraft structures are fully designed using
computer methods; however, the structures of the existing constructions have also been
modeled using engineering software, which is described in [1].
The most popular engineering design solution using CAD is a point and click method.
A more comprehensive design method is to prepare a model that is generated as a result
of entered parameters, which can be obtained by using scripting in the environment’s
language; an example of parametric blade optimization is shown for a wind turbine blade
in [
2
], and for a main rotor blade in [
3
]. The parametric design includes options to quickly
change the model’s features without time-consuming 3D modeling. It is important to note
that the influence of parametric change can be rapidly checked in numerous variants.
The helicopter rotor blade is an element which can be successfully adapted to paramet-
ric design, because of mathematical functions which precisely describe blade features. The
parametric model is the first step to prepare the main rotor optimization process [
4
]. Some
Materials 2022, 15, 4275. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15124275 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/materials
