Performance analysis of variable speed tail rotors with Gurney flaps

Abstract

Gurney Flaps (GFs) are used for improving the performance of variable speed tail rotors. A validated analytical helicopter model able to predict the main and tail rotor power is utilized. The fixed height GF has substantially small influence on the tail rotor power in hover and low to medium speed forward flight, and can obtain significant power reduction in high speed flight. This ability can be enhanced by decreasing the tail rotor speed. With the deployment of GF, the collective pitch of the tail rotor decreases, and the maximum tail rotor thrust increases. The GF can compensate the reduction of the maximum thrust by the decrease in the tail rotor speed. The GF with a height of 5% of the chord length can almost remedy 50% of the thrust reduction introduced by decreasing 10% of the tail rotor speed. With the increase of GF height, the maximum thrust generated by the tail rotor increases. The GF with larger height can cause the increase in the tail rotor power in hover and low to medium speed flight. The retractable GF can obtain more power savings than the fixed height GF. However, the benefit is substantially small even in high speed flight. Considering the side effects introduced by the active GF, the fixed height GF may be more preferable. The mechanism for the retractable GF to generate more tail rotor thrust is to increase the lift in advancing side due to the higher dynamic pressure.