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The Art of the Helicopter John Watkinson - Karatunov.net

The Art of the Helicopter John Watkinson - Karatunov.net

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74 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Helicopter</strong><br />

Fig. 3.11 (a) In actuator <strong>the</strong>ory, air passes along a stream tube which is intersected by <strong>the</strong> actuator. (b) In<br />

order to allow a step pressure difference across <strong>the</strong> rotor, pressure must fall both approaching and leaving.<br />

Note <strong>the</strong> wake contraction to about 0.7 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> rotor diameter.<br />

which air arrives at <strong>the</strong> actuator is higher than it is some distance before <strong>the</strong> actuator.<br />

This difference is <strong>the</strong> induced velocity. <strong>The</strong> induced velocity is important because it<br />

determines <strong>the</strong> velocity <strong>the</strong> rotor sees which has a large bearing on <strong>the</strong> RAFand <strong>the</strong><br />

power needed. It should not be confused with <strong>the</strong> final velocity which is higher still.<br />

In <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> an actuator that is climbing vertically, <strong>the</strong> rotor thrust is given by <strong>the</strong><br />

rate <strong>of</strong> change <strong>of</strong> momentum <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> air passing through <strong>the</strong> disc. <strong>The</strong> power needed<br />

must be <strong>the</strong> product <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> thrust and <strong>the</strong> velocity, where <strong>the</strong> velocity is <strong>the</strong> rate <strong>of</strong><br />

climb plus <strong>the</strong> induced velocity. This power must be equal to <strong>the</strong> difference in <strong>the</strong><br />

ki<strong>net</strong>ic energy well above and well below <strong>the</strong> disc. Clearly this assumption implies that<br />

only <strong>the</strong> induced drag is being considered. Actuator <strong>the</strong>ory cannot account for pr<strong>of</strong>ile<br />

drag and assumes it to be zero.<br />

<strong>The</strong> increased velocity applied to <strong>the</strong> downwash is twice <strong>the</strong> induced velocity at <strong>the</strong><br />

disc. In a stationary hover, <strong>the</strong> total velocity is <strong>the</strong> induced velocity alone and <strong>the</strong><br />

downstream velocity will be twice this. In practice <strong>the</strong> contraction has completed by<br />

about one diameter below <strong>the</strong> rotor. At this point, as <strong>the</strong> velocity has doubled, <strong>the</strong><br />

cross-sectional area must have halved in order to have constant mass flow and so <strong>the</strong><br />

downwash diameter will be about 0.7 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> rotor diameter.<br />

In Figure 3.11, uniform inflow over <strong>the</strong> disc is assumed. In o<strong>the</strong>r words <strong>the</strong> induced<br />

velocity and <strong>the</strong> pressure are <strong>the</strong> same all over. This is <strong>the</strong> most efficient condition. It is<br />

easy to show that any o<strong>the</strong>r condition requires more power. For a given total thrust, if<br />

one area <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> disc has greater induced velocity and thrust, ano<strong>the</strong>r area must have less<br />

induced velocity and thrust. <strong>The</strong> thrust is proportional to <strong>the</strong> momentum change, which<br />

is in turn proportional to <strong>the</strong> induced velocity, whereas <strong>the</strong> ki<strong>net</strong>ic energy imparted is

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