Course objective

The helicopter is a unique form of aircraft and its usefulness lies in the unique capability of take-off and land vertically on almost any terrain. As a representative form of rotorcraft, helicopter has a renewed interest with the increasing popularity of small UAVs, - so called Drones. The goal of this lecture is to provide adequate background theory as well as to present an up-to-date subject of helicopter aerodynamics. Some familiarity with basic aerodynamics and mathematical concepts are required but no prior background in rotating-wing aerodynamics is assumed. This lecture is devoted to more advanced topics in helicopter aerodynamics, including airfoil flows, unsteady aerodynamics, dynamic stall, rotor wakes and rotor-airframe interaction.

Texts and References

1. “Principles of Helicopter Aerodynammics", J. Gordon Leishman, Cambridge University Press, 2nd Edition, 2006
2. “Rotorcraft Aeromechanics", Wayne Johnson, Cambridge University Press, 2013

Course outline

Part 1.
Helicopter Performance
Aerodynamic Design of Helicopter I
Aerodymamic Design of Helicopter II
Aerodynamics of Rotor Airfoils I
Aerodynamics of Rotor Airfoils II
Unsteady Airfoil Behavior I
Unsteady Airfoil Behavior II

<Mid-Term Exam>

Part 2.
Dynamic Stall I
Dynamic Stall II
Rotor Wakes and Blade Tip Vortices I
Rotor Wakes and Blade Tip Vortices II
Rotor-Airframe Interactional Aerodynamics
Invited Lecture

<Final Exam>