Nonlinear analysis of the dynamics of articulated composite rotor blades

Abstract

The general nonlinear intrinsic equations of motion of an elastic composite beam are solved in order to obtain the elasto-dynamic response of a rotating articulated blade. The solution utilizes the linear Variational-Asymptotic Method (VAM) cross-sectional analysis, together with an improved damped nonlinear model for the rigid-body motion analysis of helicopter blades in coupled flap and lead-lag motions. The explicit (direct) integration algorithm implements the perturbation method in order to solve the transient form of the nonlinear intrinsic differential equations of motion and obtain the elasto-dynamic behavior of an accelerating composite blade. The specific problem considered is an accelerating articulated helicopter blade of which its motion is analyzed since it starts rotating from rest until it reaches the steady-state condition. It is observed that the steady-state solution obtained by this method compares very well with other available solutions. The resulting simulation code is a powerful tool for analyzing the nonlinear response of composite rotor blades; and for serving the ultimate aim of efficient noise and vibration control in helicopters.