Flight Dynamics Investigation of Compound Helicopter Configurations

Abstract

Compounding has often been proposed as a method to increase the maximum speed of the helicopter. There are two common types of compounding known as wing and thrust compounding. Wing compounding offloads the rotor at high speeds, delaying the onset of retreating blade stall, and hence increasing the maximum achievable speed, whereas with thrust compounding, axial thrust provides additional propulsive force. There has been a resurgence of interest in the configuration due to the emergence of new requirements for speeds greater than those of conventional helicopters. The aim of this paper is to investigate the dynamic stability characteristics of compound helicopters and compare the results with a conventional helicopter. The paper discusses the modeling of two compound helicopters, which are named the coaxial compound and hybrid compound helicopters. Their respective trim results are contrasted with a conventional helicopter model. Furthermore, using a numerical differentiation technique, the dynamic stability of each configuration is assessed. The results show that the frequency of the coaxial compound helicopter’s Dutch roll mode is less than that of the conventional helicopter, and there is greater roll damping. Concerning the hybrid compound helicopter, there is greater roll damping and the phugoid mode stabilizes at high speeds.