Fundamental investigation using active plasma control to reduce blade–vortex interaction noise

Blade vortex interaction noise is a problematic and dominant component of rotor noise. Plasma actuators strategically placed at the tip of the rotor blades can reduce the strength of the tip vortices. This reduction has the potential to significantly reduce blade vortex interaction noise. A combined experimental, numerical, and theoretical program shows supporting evidence that low power plasma actuators can effectively lower coherence of the blade tip vortex and reduce blade vortex interaction noise over-pressure by up to 80%. For a nominal small five-bladed unmanned aerial vehicle, we predict an approximate 8.88 maximum ΔdB reduction for a 150 m/s tip speed. Experimental, computational, and acoustic modeling support these predictions. This study represents a fundamental investigation in the fixed-frame, which provides evidence for higher level research and testing in a rotating framework.

Impact of Tip-Vortex Modeling Uncertainty on Helicopter Rotor Blade–Vortex Interaction Noise Prediction

Free-wake models are routinely used in aeroacoustic analysis of helicopter rotors; however, their semiempiricism is accompanied with uncertainty related to the modeling of physical wake parameters. In some cases, analysts have to resort to empirical adaption of these parameters based on previous experimental evidence. This paper investigates the impact of inherent uncertainty in wake aerodynamic modeling on the robustness of helicopter rotor aeroacoustic analysis. A free-wake aeroelastic rotor model is employed to predict high-resolution unsteady airloads, including blade–vortex interactions. A rotor aeroacoustics model, based on integral solutions of the Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings equation, is utilized to calculate aerodynamic noise in the time domain. The individual analytical models are incorporated into an uncertainty analysis numerical procedure, implemented through nonintrusive Polynomial Chaos expansion. The potential sources of uncertainty in wake tip-vortex core growth modeling are identified and their impact on noise predictions is systematically quantified. When experimental data to adjust the tip-vortex core model are not available the uncertainty in acoustic pressure and noise impact at observers dominated by blade–vortex interaction noise can reach up to 25% and 3.50 dB, respectively. A set of generalized uncertainty maps is derived, for use as modeling guidelines for aeroacoustic analysis in the absence of the robust evidence necessary for calibration of semiempirical vortex core models.

Development and Validation of Generic Maneuvering Flight Noise Abatement Guidance for Helicopters

An extensive flight-test campaign has been conducted to look into developing actionable advice for pilots of today's vehicles to reduce their acoustic footprints. Ten distinct vehicles were tested at three different test ranges, with nine of the vehicles' data being documented here. Twelve pairs of turning conditions were tested to determine their effect on blade–vortex interaction noise. Each turning flight condition was evaluated using the peak A-weighted, band-limited (50–2500 Hz), sound pressure level measured throughout the maneuver. This metric was a surrogate for blade–vortex interaction (BVI) noise, and the difference between the peak values of each turning pair was investigated. That peak value difference was subsequently corrected by the offset from the intended vehicle altitude at turn initiation from the actual altitude at initiation. The corrected amplitudes were investigated and grouped into six validated actionable guidance principles that can be given to pilots to immediately reduce their acoustic footprint during operations. This generic guidance works by keeping the rotor well away from the wake throughout the maneuver, thus increasing miss distance and reducing the occurrence of objectionable BVI noise.

A Numerical Investigation of the Influence of the Blade–Vortex Interaction on the Dynamic Stall Onset

Recently, fluid–structure coupling simulations of helicopter rotors in high-thrust forward flight suggested that dynamic stall might be triggered by the blade–vortex interaction. However, no clear evidence of a correlation between dynamic stall and blade–vortex interaction has yet been given. We propose in this paper a simplified two-dimensional numerical model that can be used to indicate the role that the blade–vortex interaction plays in dynamic stall onset for different flight conditions. In this model, the rotor blade element is considered in pitching oscillation motion with a nonuniform translation, and a simplified vortex model can be introduced or not in the simulation to highlight the effect of blade–vortex interaction. All flow parameters of this simplified model are deduced from data provided by previous three-dimensional high-fidelity fluid–structure simulations. The method is used for validation and analysis of three flight conditions. The results show that, for the two cases with moderate advance ratio, the dynamic stall event is only triggered when a blade–vortex interaction occurs in the stall region. For the high-speed test case, the dynamic stall event seems to be only triggered by the very high angle of attack due to the motion of the blade.