A Full-Scale Rotor-Wake Investigation of a Free-Flying Helicopter in Ground Effect Using BOS and PIV

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Clemens Schwarz ◽  
Andŕe Bauknecht ◽  
C. Christian Wolf ◽  
Alexander Coyle ◽  
Markus Raffel

Measurements in the wake of a free-flying full-scale helicopter in ground effect were performed for both quasi-steady and unsteady maneuvering flights using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (PIV), a time-resolved background-oriented schlieren (BOS) setup, and an optical marker tracking technique. The systems were used in a complementary way to both visualize blade tip vortices in a large portion of the rotor wake and to capture spatially resolved wake velocity data close to the ground. The high sensitivity of the BOS system enabled the detection of vortices up to an age of ψ = 630°. Different instability mechanisms as long-wave, short-wave, and pairing instabilities were observed with varying intensity for different flight conditions. A quantitative analysis of vortex locations showed a periodic variation resulting from interactions between consecutive vortices that led to vortex pairing. Characteristics of the wake outwash close to the ground were investigated by means of averaged velocity fields. Different patterns such as wall jet, recirculation, and ground vortex flow were quantitatively analyzed and found to be in good agreement with previous model helicopter experiments. The instantaneous velocity data were used to detect individual blade tip vortices with ages above 450° close to the ground and to extract vortex parameters. For a takeoff maneuver, both concentrated vortices and the formation of larger vortex structures due to bundling of several vortices were observed.

2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 1601-1610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kolja Kindler ◽  
Karen Mulleners ◽  
Hugues Richard ◽  
Berend G. van der Wall ◽  
Markus Raffel

2021 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes N. Braukmann ◽  
Andreas Goerttler ◽  
C. Christian Wolf ◽  
Clemens Schwarz ◽  
Markus Raffel

Abstract An investigation into blade tip vortices of a sub-scale rotor under cyclic pitch conditions is carried out. Background oriented schlieren (BOS), particle image velocimetry (PIV), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are applied to the same test cases. This approach allows to combine the velocity data from PIV in a measurement plane, the density related data from BOS in a measurement volume, and the comprehensive set of flow variables provided by unsteady detached eddy simulations. Vortices up to an age of $$\varPsi _{{\text {v}}}= {70}^\circ$$ Ψ v = 70 ∘ in case of PIV and CFD, and up to $$\varPsi _{{\text {v}}}= {200}^\circ$$ Ψ v = 200 ∘ in case of BOS are considered. The vortex locations are obtained through all three techniques. The unsteadiness of the vortices was obtained by the experimental results, whereas CFD provides an average solution. An increased position scatter was observed during the downstroke of the pitch cycle with both experimental methods and was found to be in good agreement. In the second part, the PIV velocity data are compared to common vortex models. An approach to link the density distribution and the swirl velocity is applied to the measured data. Based on the CFD results, it is shown that the assumption of isothermal flow yields better agreement between velocity and density than isentropic flow. Graphic abstract


Author(s):  
Takayuki Mori ◽  
Risa Kimoto ◽  
Kenji Naganuma

Flow field around a marine propeller was measured by means of PIV technique in a large cavitation tunnel of the Naval Systems Research Center, TRDI/Ministry of Defense, Japan. Test section of the tunnel is 2m(W) × 2m(H) × 10m(L) and it contains 2000m3 of water. 2-dimensional PIV (2-D PIV) and stereo PIV (SPIV) measurements were made for a five-bladed highly skewed marine propeller. In the case of 2-D PIV measurements, high spatial resolution measurements were possible by seeding relatively small amount of tracer particles. Phase-averaged flow fields showed details on evolution of tip vortices. In the case of SPIV measurements, much larger amounts of tracer particles were required, and it was difficult to perform high resolution measurements. Phase averaged velocity profiles from SPIV measurements showed good agreement with 2-D PIV-measured results. PIV-measured results were compared with results of LDV measurements. Although PIV-measured velocity profiles showed fairly good agreements with LDV-measured results, some discrepancies were found at the blade tip region.


Author(s):  
Patrick H. Wagner ◽  
Jan Van herle ◽  
Lili Gu ◽  
Jürg Schiffmann

Abstract The blade tip clearance loss was studied experimentally and numerically for a micro radial fan with a tip diameter of 19.2mm. Its relative blade tip clearance, i.e., the clearance divided by the blade height of 1.82 mm, was adjusted with different shims. The fan characteristics were experimentally determined for an operation at the nominal rotational speed of 168 krpm with hot air (200 °C). The total-to-total pressure rise and efficiency increased from 49 mbar to 68 mbar and from 53% to 64%, respectively, by reducing the relative tip clearance from 7.7% to the design value of 2.2%. Single and full passage computational fluid dynamics simulations correlate well with these experimental findings. The widely-used Pfleiderer loss correlation with an empirical coefficient of 2.8 fits the numerical simulation and the experiments within +2 efficiency points. The high sensitivity to the tip clearance loss is a result of the design specific speed of 0.80, the highly-backward curved blades (17°), and possibly the low Reynolds number (1 × 105). The authors suggest three main measures to mitigate the blade tip clearance losses for small-scale fans: (1) utilization of high-precision surfaced-grooved gas-bearings to lower the blade tip clearance, (2) a mid-loaded blade design, and (3) an unloaded fan leading edge to reduce the blade tip clearance vortex in the fan passage.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayush Saraswat ◽  
Subhra Shankha Koley ◽  
Joseph Katz

Abstract Ongoing experiments conducted in a one-and-half stages axial compressor installed in the JHU refractive index-matched facility investigate the evolution of flow structure across blade rows. After previously focusing only on the rotor tip region, the present stereo-PIV (SPIV) measurements are performed in a series of axial planes covering an entire passage across the machine, including upstream of the IGV, IGV-rotor gap, rotor-stator gap, and downstream of the stator. The measurements are performed at flow rates corresponding to pre-stall condition and best efficiency point (BEP). Data are acquired for various rotor-blade orientations relative to the IGV and stator blades. The results show that at BEP, the wakes of IGV and rotor are much more distinct and the wake signatures of one row persists downstream of the next, e.g., the flow downstream of the stator is strongly affected by the rotor orientation. In contrast, under pre-stall conditions, the rotor orientation has minimal effect on the flow structure downstream of the stator. However, the wakes of the stator blades, where the axial momentum is low, are now wider. For both conditions, the flow downstream of the rotor is characterized by two regions of axial momentum deficit in addition to the rotor wake. A deficit on the pressure side of the rotor wake tip is associated with the tip leakage vortex (TLV) of the previous rotor blade, and is much broader at pre-stall condition. A deficit on the suction side of the rotor wake near the hub appears to be associated with the hub vortex generated by the neighboring blade, and is broader at BEP. At pre-stall, while the axial momentum upstream of the rotor decreases over the entire tip region, it is particularly evident near the rotor blade tip, where the instantaneous axial velocity becomes intermittently negative. Downstream of the rotor, there is a substantial reduction in mean axial momentum in the upper half of the passage, concurrently with an increase in the circumferential velocity. Consequently, the incidence angle upstream of the stator increases in certain regions by up to 30 degrees. These observations suggest that while the onset of the stall originates from the rotor tip flow, one must examine its impact on the flow structure in the stator passage as well.


2007 ◽  
Vol 51 (02) ◽  
pp. 182-186
Author(s):  
Tracie J. Barber

The accurate prediction of ground effect aerodynamics is an important aspect of wing-in-ground (WIG) effect vehicle design. When WIG vehicles operate over water, the deformation of the nonrigid surface beneath the body may affect the aerodynamic performance of the craft. The likely surface deformation has been considered from a theoretical and numerical position. Both two-dimensional and three-dimensional cases have been considered, and results show that any deformation occurring on the water surface is likely to be caused by the wing tip vortices rather than an increased pressure distribution beneath the wing.


2009 ◽  
Vol 296 (3) ◽  
pp. R610-R617 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Mongue-Din ◽  
A. Salmon ◽  
M. Y. Fiszman ◽  
Y. Fromes

Several hamster strains are commonly used as models for cardiomyopathic phenotypes evolving toward heart failure. However, little is known about heart rate variability (HRV) in this species. Prolonged surface ECG recording, a prerequisite to HRV studies, can be obtained either by telemetry or by restraints. Here, we performed long time ECG recording using telemetry on young adult Syrian hamsters and we analyzed time series of interbeat intervals. Standard statistics showed that the mean of normal R-R intervals slightly increased with age, with standard deviation of normal R-R intervals remaining stable over time. However, time domain analysis using Poincaré plots revealed dynamic changes in the HRV. Analysis of frequency domains revealed that the ratio of spectral components (low frequency/high frequency) exhibited a maturation pattern. Thus refined analysis of HRV revealed a more complex pattern than common statistical analysis would translate. Unlike other rodents, hamsters display a great spontaneous variability of their heart rate. As the complexity canvas of HRV might be the consequence of extracardiac regulation factors, we assessed the sympathovagal balance in both time and frequency domain of heart rate. Pharmacological tests revealed that both sympathetic and vagal tones contribute to HRV in Syrian hamsters. Thus Syrian hamsters have a broad intrinsic HRV with large influences of the neurovegetative system. However, the influence of the previous beat seems to prevail over the autonomic oscillators. These animals present a high sensitivity to artificially altered cardiac regulation and might be great models for the diagnosis of early alterations in the HRV related to pathology. Therefore, Syrian hamsters represent a unique model for HRV studies.


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