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In this paper, an accurate structural dynamic analysis was developed for a helicopter rotor system including rotor control components, which was coupled to various aerodynamic and wake models in order to predict an aeroelastic response and the loads acting on the rotor. Its blade analysis was based on an intrinsic formulation of moving beams implemented in the lime domain. The rotor control system was modeled as a combination of rigid and elastic components. A multicomponent analysis was then developed by coupling the beam finite element model with the rotor control system model to obtain a complete rotor-blade/control-system aeroelastic analysis. The rotor blade analysis was in good agreement and validated by comparing with DYMORE. Numerical results were obtained for a four-bladed, small-scale, articulated rotor rotating in vacuum and in a wind tunnel to simulate forward-flight conditions and its aerodynamic effects. The complete rotor-blade/control-system model was loosely coupled with various inflow and wake models in order to simulate both hover and forward-flight conditions. The resulting rotor blade response and pitch link loads are in good agreement with those predicted by CAMRAD II. The present analysis features both model compactness and robustness in its solution procedure while capturing the sophisticated behavior of individual rotor components. The analysis is expected to be part of a framework useful in the preliminary design phase for helicopters. DOI: 10.2514/1.47608

This paper presents an improved structural analysis for a bearingless helicopter rotor. The bearingless rotor usually features a significantly large elastic twist in the flexbeam and additional unique structural characteristics. Thus, it will require sophisticated structural analysis and relevant numerical validation procedures due to its multiple load paths, as induced by the single or multiple fiexbeams and the torque tube. In this paper, an extended finite element formulation was derived to consider the multiple components as individual beam elements. A geometrically exact beam formulation was adopted to describe the nonlinear behavior of these major components in the rotor precisely. To implement the interconnecting kinematic relationship with the major components, Lagrange multipliers were used. The present static analysis was validated through comparisons with the existing multi-body dynamics analysis DYMORE. Additional results were obtained for rotating conditions in both a vacuum and a set atmosphere in a wind tunnel. Finally, an experimental full-scale bearingless rotor system was coupled with finite-state dynamic inflow aerodynamics to simulate forward flight. The present predictions of the rotor responses and aerodynamics were well correlated with those by CAMRAD II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]