Wind Tunnel Flowfield and Performance Measurements of a Dynamically-Scaled Lift- and Thrust-Compounded Rotorcraft in High-Speed Flight

Abstract:
This paper presents a wind tunnel investigation on the interactional aerodynamics of a slowed-rotor lift- and thrust-compounded helicopter model in high-speed forward flight. A systematic configuration study was conducted to isolate the aerodynamic contributions of the main rotor, wings, fuselage, and pusher propeller to the aft flowfield, measured using phase-resolved 2D-3C particle image velocimetry. Measurements were acquired at an advance ratio of 0.5 across multiple rotor thrust levels, lift offset trim states, and propeller rotational speeds. The fuselage induces a streamwise velocity deficit of nearly 50% of the freestream near the tail boom due to oncoming flow blockage. This deficit is modulated by the main rotor and wing configurations. The rotor slipstream partially alleviates the deficit by convecting high-speed freestream flow downwards. Lift offset in the asymmetric half-wing configuration suppresses the rotor wake influence, deepening the velocity deficit relative to a conventional rotor trim state. The pusher propeller partially recovers the streamwise velocity deficit, with propeller performance improving in proportion to the magnitude of the deficit due to reduced climb inflow and increased blade sectional angle of attack. These findings demonstrate that the velocity gradient aft of a compound rotorcraft impacts pusher propeller performance, highlighting the importance of flowfield-informed propeller design for improved performance in high-speed forward flight.

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