Abstract

To investigate the impact of high-altitude environments on helicopter rotor aerodynamic characteristics, this study developed a computational model that integrates CFD, BP neural networks, and the free wake method. The accuracy of the model was validated through wind tunnel experiments and comparisons with CFD results. Using this model, the effects of altitude and temperature at high altitudes on rotor aerodynamic characteristics during hover and forward flight were studied. The results indicate that with constant temperature, rotor thrust significantly decreases as altitude increases, primarily due to reduced air density. As altitude rises with unchanged temperature, the decrease in air density directly affects the lift and thrust generated by the rotor, leading to a decline in hover performance. Furthermore, the study found that rotor aerodynamic coefficients do not vary significantly across different altitudes. Further analysis suggests this stability is due to the high Reynolds number in the calculated state. In the high Reynolds number range, changes in Reynolds number have minimal impact on aerodynamic coefficients, resulting in relatively stable aerodynamic performance across varying altitudes. At a constant altitude, lower temperatures lead to slight increases in rotor thrust and torque, while the thrust coefficient and power coefficient remain almost unaffected. This phenomenon is attributed to changes in air density and viscosity caused by the lower temperatures. The increase in air density positively impacts thrust and torque, while the reduction in air viscosity decreases the rotor's surface frictional resistance. This partially offsets the increase in lift and drag caused by the higher air density, leading to negligible changes in thrust and power coefficients.

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