EULER SOLUTIONS FOR SELF-GENERATED ROTOR BLADE-VORTEX INTERACTIONS

A finite-difference procedure has been developed for the prediction of three-dimensional rotor blade-vortex interactions. The interaction velocity field was obtained through a non-linear superposition of the rotor flow field, computed using the unsteady three-dimensional Euler equations, and the embedded vortex wake flow field, computed using the law of Biot-Savart. In the Euler model, near wake rotational effects were simulated using the surface velocity 'transpiration' approach. As a result, a modified surface boundary condition was prescribed and enforced at each time step of the computations to satisfy the tangency boundary condition. For supercritical interactions using an upstream-generated vortex, accuracy of the numerical results were found to rely on the user-specified vortex core radius and vortex strength. For the more general self-generated subcritical interactions, vortex wake trajectories were computed using the lifting-line helicopter/rotor trim code CAMRAD. For these interactions, accuracy of the results were found to rely heavily on the CAMRAD-predicted vortex strength, vortex orientation with respect to the blade, and to a large extent on the user-specified vortex core radius. Results for the one-seventh scale model OLS rotor and for a non-lifting rectangular blade having a NACA0012 section are presented. Comparisons with the experimental wind-tunnel data are also made.