Coupled Viscous Vortex Particle Method and Unstructured Computational Fluid Dynamics Solver for Rotorcraft Aerodynamic Interaction Analysis

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinggen Zhao ◽  
Chengjian He ◽  
Lucy Zhang ◽  
Hongwu Zhao ◽  
Patrick Hu
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Interaction Analysis ◽  
Particle Method ◽  
Vortex Particle Method ◽  
Aerodynamic Interaction ◽  
Vortex Particle

scholarly journals Unsteady loads for coaxial rotors in forward flight computed using a vortex particle method

2018 ◽  
Vol 122 (1251) ◽  
pp. 693-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Tan ◽  
Y. Sun ◽  
G. N. Barakos
Keyword(s):  
Flow Model ◽  
Particle Method ◽  
Reversed Flow ◽  
Aerodynamic Loads ◽  
Unsteady Aerodynamic ◽  
Vortex Particle Method ◽  
Coaxial Rotor ◽  
Aerodynamic Interaction ◽  
Coaxial Rotors ◽  
Vortex Particle

ABSTRACTRecent advances in coaxial rotor design have shown benefits of this configuration. Nevertheless, issues related to rotor-head drag, aerodynamic performance, wake interference, and vibration should also be considered. Simulating the unsteady aerodynamic loads for a coaxial rotor, including the aerodynamic interactions between rotors and rotor blades, is an essential part of analysing their vibration characteristics. In this article, an unsteady aerodynamic analysis based on a vortex particle method is presented. In this method, a reversed-flow model for the retreating side of the coaxial rotor is proposed based on an unsteady panel technique. To account for reversed flow, shedding a vortex from the leading edge is used rather than from the trailing edge. Moreover, vortex-blade aerodynamic interactions are accounted for. The model considers the unsteady pressure term induced on a blade by tip vortices of other blades, and thus accounts for the aerodynamic interaction between the rotors and its contribution to the unsteady airloads. Coupling the reversed-flow model and the vortex-blade aerodynamic interaction model with the viscous vortex-particle method is used to simulate the complex wake of the coaxial rotor. The unsteady aerodynamic loads on the X2 coaxial rotor are simulated in forward flight, and compared with the results of PRASADUM (Parallelized Rotorcraft Analysis for Simulation And Design, developed at the University of Maryland) and CFD/CSD computations with the OVERFLOW and the CREATE-AV Helios tools. The results of the present method agree with the results of the CFD/CSD method, and compare to it better than the PRASADUM solutions. Furthermore, the influence of the aerodynamic interaction between the coaxial rotors on the unsteady airloads, frequency, wake structure, induced flow, and force distributions are analysed. Additionally, the results are also compared against computations for a single-rotor case, simulated at similar conditions as the coaxial rotor. It is shown that the effect of tip vortex interaction plays a significant role in unsteady airloads of coaxial rotors at low speeds, while the rotor blade passing effect is obviously strengthened at high-speed.

scholarly journals Assessment of a Mid-Fidelity Numerical Approach for the Investigation of Tiltrotor Aerodynamics

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 3385
Author(s):  
Alex Zanotti ◽  
Alberto Savino ◽  
Michele Palazzi ◽  
Matteo Tugnoli ◽  
Vincenzo Muscarello
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Particle Method ◽  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Good Representation ◽  
Flow Physics ◽  
Vortex Particle Method ◽  
Steady Level ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd

The study of the complex aerodynamics that characterise tiltrotors represents a challenge for computational fluid dynamics tools. URANS numerical solvers are typically used to explore the aerodynamic features that characterise the different flight conditions of these aircraft, but their computational cost limits their applications to a few vehicle configurations. The present work explores the capabilities of a new mid-fidelity aerodynamic code that is based on the vortex particle method, DUST, to investigate the performance and flow physics of tiltrotors. With this aim, numerical simulations were performed in DUST while considering XV-15 tiltrotor configurations with increasing complexity. The study started with the investigation of a simpler configuration made up of a single wing and a proprotor. Subsequently, the full aircraft was studied in steady-level flights and its major operating flight conditions were explored—i.e., hover, conversion phase, and cruise. A thorough assessment of the code capabilities was performed by the comparison of the numerical results with high-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) data. This thorough comparison showed that the mid-fidelity numerical approach implemented in DUST is suitable for capturing the flow physics related to the complex aerodynamic interactions between the proprotors and the wing along with the entire flight envelope of the tiltrotor. Moreover, a good representation of the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle was obtained, particularly for the flight conditions that are characterised by limited flow separations. The good accuracy obtained for both the performance and flow physics, combined with the relatively lower computational costs required by the mid-fidelity solver with respect to the URANS simulations, indicates that DUST could be considered a valuable tool for use in the preliminary design of novel tiltrotor configurations.

On the Influence of Inflow Model Selection for Time-Domain Tiltrotor Aeroelastic Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethan Corle ◽  
Matthew Floros ◽  
Sven Schmitz
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Particle Method ◽  
Comprehensive Analysis ◽  
Solution Stability ◽  
Step Size ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Time Step Size ◽  
Vortex Particle Method ◽  
Whirl Flutter ◽  
Vortex Particle

The methods of using the viscous vortex particle method, dynamic inflow, and uniform inflow to conduct whirl-flutter stability analysis are evaluated on a four-bladed, soft-inplane tiltrotor model using the Rotorcraft Comprehensive Analysis System. For the first time, coupled transient simulations between comprehensive analysis and a vortex particle method inflow model are used to predict whirl-flutter stability. Resolution studies are performed for both spatial and temporal resolution in the transient solution. Stability in transient analysis is noted to be influenced by both. As the particle resolution is refined, a reduction in simulation time-step size must also be performed. An azimuthal time step size of 0.3 deg is used to consider a range of particle resolutions to understand the influence on whirl-flutter stability predictions. Comparisons are made between uniform inflow, dynamic inflow, and the vortex particle method with respect to prediction capabilities when compared to wing beam-bending frequency and damping experimental data. Challenges in assessing the most accurate inflow model are noted due to uncertainty in experimental data; however, a consistent trend of increasing damping with additional levels of fidelity in the inflow model is observed. Excellent correlation is observed between the dynamic inflow predictions and the vortex particle method predictions in which the wing is not part of the inflow model, indicating that the dynamic inflow model is adequate for capturing damping due to the induced velocity on the rotor disk. Additional damping is noted in the full vortex particle method model, with the wing included, which is attributed to either an interactional aerodynamic effect between the rotor and the wing or a more accurate representation of the unsteady loading on the wing due to induced velocities.

Development of a hybrid compressible vortex particle method and application to external problems including helicopter flows

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Γεώργιος Παπαδάκης
Keyword(s):  
Particle Method ◽  
Vortex Particle Method ◽  
Vortex Particle

Σκοπός της διδακτορικής διατριβής ήταν η ανάπτυξη μιας νέας υβριδικής μεθο-δολογίας CFD για την επίλυση εξωτερικών αεροδυναμικών ροών. Η ιδέα πίσω απότην εργασία ήταν η ανάγκη για προσομοιώσεις σύνθετων προβλημάτων στα οποία κυ-ριαρχούν ισχυρές δομές στροβιλότητας και που υπάρχουν σώματα τα οποία κινούνταιανεξάρτητα μεταξύ τους. Για το λόγο αυτό αναπτύχθηκαν δύο υπολογιστικά εργαλείατα οποία συνενώθηκαν σε ένα υβριδικό επιλυτή. Πιο συγκεκριμένα:Ο Eulerian CFD επιλυτής (MaPFlow): Αναπτύχθηκε ένας συμπιεστός URANS επι-λυτής που λύνει πάνω σε μή δομημένα πλέγματα. Ο συγκεκριμένος επιλυτής είναιεφοδιασμένος με προσταθεροποιητή για χαμηλούς αριθμούς Mach για την προσομοί-ωση ασυμπίεστων ροών. Η μοντελοποίηση της τύρβης γίνεται είτε με το μοντέλομίας εξίσωσης του Spalart-Almaras είτε με το μοντέλο δύο εξισώσεων k-! SST τουMenter. Ακόμη, ο επιλυτής μπορεί να χειριστεί κινούμενα ή παραμορφώσιμα πλέγματαενώ έχει παραλληλοποιηθεί με τη χρήση του πρωτοκόλλου MPI.O Lagrangian επιλυτής: Διατυπώθηκε και αναπτύχθηκε ένας συμπιεστός Lagrangianεπιλυτής που χρησιμοποιεί στοιχεία στροβιλότητας. Η συγκεκριμένη διατύπωση χρη-σιμοποιεί στοιχεία ρευστού που μεταφέρουν μάζα, μεταβολή του όγκου, στροβι-λότητα, ενέργεια και όγκο για να μπορεί να διαχειριστεί συμπιεστές ροές. Για ναμειωθεί το υπολογιστικό κόστος του επιλυτή χρησιμοποιήθηκε η μέθοδος ParticleMesh (PM) η οποία παραλληλοποιήθηκε χρησιμοποιώντας τον αλγόριθμο του James-Lackner.Σύυζευξη των δύο επιλυτών σε ένα υπολογιστικό εργαλειό (HoPFlow): Υλοποιήθηκεισχυρή σύζευξη των Eulerian και Lagrangian επιλυτών σε μία υβριδική μεθοδολογία.Η σύζευξη έγινε με τέτοιο τρόπο ώστε να διασφαλίζει συνέχεια και συνέπεια τηςλύσης ανάμεσα στους δύο επιλυτές.Τα αποτελέσματα που παρουσιάζονται στην παρούσα εργασία έχουν σκοπό τηνπιστοποίηση των εργαλείων που υλοποιήθηκαν. Αρχικά, παρουσιάζονται αποτελέ-σματα που αφορούν την πιστοποίηση του Εulerian URANS επιλυτή. Η πιστοποίησηπεριλαμβάνει συγκρίσεις με πειραματικά αλλά και υπολογιστικά δεδομένα σε διάφο-ρες διδιάστατες και τριδιάστατες ροές. Στη συνέχεια, ακολουθεί η πιστοποίηση τουυβριδικού επιλυτή όπου γίνεται σύγκριση με τα αντίστοιχα Eulerian αποτελέσματααλλά και με πειραματικά δεδομένα.Οι περιπτώσεις πιστοποίησης που εξετάστηκαν περιλαμβάνουν διδιάστατες ροέςγύρω από σταθερές και κινούμενες αεροτομές σε πληθώρα αριθμών Reynolds καιMach. Οι τρισδιάστατες περιπτώσεις που παρουσιάζονται αφορούν ροές γύρω απόσταθερά και περιστρεφόμενα πτερύγια (Δρομείς Ανεμογεννητριών και Ελικοπτέρου).Η χρήση των υπολογιστικών εργαλείων σε πληθώρα περιπτώσεων έδειξαν ότι καιο Εulerian CFD επιλυτής (MaPFlow) όπως και ο υβριδικός επιλυτής (HoPFlow)παράγουν ικανοποιητικά αποτελέσματα. Συγκεκριμένα, ο υβριδικός επιλυτής έχει λι-γότερη διάχυση από τον Eulerian και για αυτό στις περιπτώσεις όπου κυριαρχούνισχυροί στρόβιλοι (όπως ο δρομέας ελικοπτέρου σε αιώρηση) τα αποτελέσματα πουπαράγονται είναι καλύτερα. Θα πρέπει να τονιστεί ότι οι περισσότερες περιπτώσειςπου εξετάστηκαν, είναι απλούστερες από αυτές για τις οποίες αναπτύχθηκε η υβρι-δική μέθοδος. Παρόλα αυτά, η επιλογή τους έγινε με σκοπό την πιστοποίηση τηςκαινούργιας μεθόδου που προηγείται της χρήσης της σε πιο σύνθετες ροές.

Solution-Responsive Particle Size Adaptivity in Lagrangian Vortex Particle Methods

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Stock ◽  
Adrin Gharakhani
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Particle Method ◽  
Adaptive Method ◽  
Particle Methods ◽  
Core Size ◽  
Large Particle Size ◽  
The Core ◽  
Vortex Particle Method ◽  
Computational Resources ◽  
Vortex Particle

Abstract In order to minimize the computational resources necessary for a given level of accuracy in a Lagrangian Vortex Particle Method, a novel particle core size adaptivity scheme has been created. The method adapts locally to the solution while preventing large particle size gradients, and optionally adapts globally to focus effort on important regions. It is implemented in the diffusion solver, which uses the Vorticity Redistribution Method, by allowing and accounting for variations in the core radius of participating particles. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this new method on the diffusion of a δ-function and impulsively started flow over a circular cylinder at Re = 9,500. In each case, the adaptive method provides solutions with marginal loss of accuracy but with substantially fewer computational elements.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document