| Issue |
Volume 7, 2015
Progress in Flight Physics – Volume 7
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 21 - 32 | |
| Section | Aerodynamics | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/eucass/201507021 | |
| Published online | 08 June 2015 | |
Helicopter fuselage drag ─ combined computational fluid dynamics and experimental studies
1
Kazan National Research Technical
University
10 K. Marx Str.,
Kazan
424011,
Russia
2
School of Engineering, University of
Liverpool
Liverpool
L69 3GH,
U.K.
In this paper, wind tunnel experiments are combined with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) aiming to analyze the aerodynamics of realistic fuselage configurations. A development model of the ANSAT aircraft and an early model of the AKTAI light helicopter were employed. Both models were tested at the subsonic wind tunnel of KNRTU-KAI for a range of Reynolds numbers and pitch and yaw angles. The force balance measurements were complemented by particle image velocimetry (PIV) investigations for the cases where the experimental force measurements showed substantial unsteadiness. The CFD results were found to be in fair agreement with the test data and revealed some flow separation at the rear of the fuselages. Once confidence on the CFD method was established, further modifications were introduced to the ANSAT-like fuselage model to demonstrate drag reduction via small shape changes.
© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2015