UH-60A Rotor Analysis with an Accurate Dual-Formulation Hybrid Aeroelastic Methodology

Abstract

Dual-solver hybrid methodologies that couple fluid solvers in different regions of the flowfield have been developed to accelerate convergence with minimal compromises in accuracy. A new dual-solver hybrid analysis framework that addresses some of the major shortcomings of prior dual-solver hybrid methodologies has been developed through an academic–industry partnership. In this effort, one of the hybrid solvers, comprising of a computational fluid dynamics–computational structural dynamics (CFD-CSD) solver coupled with a Lagrangian wake-panel module, is assessed. The hybrid solver’s ability to replicate the accuracy of the more expensive CFD-CSD approach and its ability to capture the physics of the rotor system are presented. The criteria that have been evaluated include integrated aerodynamic performance quantities, structural loads and moments, and near-body wakes. If the best practices extracted from this analysis are applied, the analysis with a reduced off-body CFD mesh is able to predict forward-flight rotor behavior that is within 4% of a full CFD simulation with up to 70% cost savings. This accuracy has been assessed on both high-speed and high-thrust flight conditions and has been quantitatively verified for aerodynamic, structural, and hub variables of interest at a number of radial blade stations for a frequency range of 0–16/rev.