Numerical study of helicopter blade-vortex mechanism of interaction using the potential flow theory

The blade-vortex interaction (BVI) phenomenon plays a key role in the rotorcraft aerodynamics. Numerical investigations of BVI using classical CFD approaches are computationally expensive. In the present research we propose a numerical approach, based on the potential flow theory, for the numerical investigation of helicopter blade-vortex mechanism of interaction. This approach overcomes the computational expenses posed by the CFD techniques. The influence of vertical miss distance, angle of attack, airfoil camber, and vortex strength on the helicopter blade-vortex mechanism of interaction is subject of investigation. The study reveals that the magnitude of the aerodynamic coefficients decreases with the increase of vertical miss distance and angle of attack, and the decrease of vortex strength and core size. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.