Miniature trailing-edge effectors for rotorcraft performance enhancement

The rotor performance effects of miniature trailing-edge effectors, or MiTEs, mounted at the trailing edge of a rotor blade have been explored using blade-element theory. MiTEs are best described as deployable Gurney flaps and can be used to actively control the loading on a helicopter rotor blade for enhanced performance, vibration control, and possibly even noise reduction. A method has been developed to model the unsteady aerodynamics of MiTE deployment, as well with the unsteady aerodynamics associated with airfoil oscillations through dynamic stall. Such modeling is necessary for exploring the usage of the devices for performance enhancement, as well as for any future work in evaluating their potential for vibration and noise control. The rotor performance studies presented here are based on optimal scheduling of the MiTEs, such that they typically deploy on the retreating side of the rotor disk to increase the maximum lift. The results display a significant increases in the flight envelope, including up to a 20% gain in the maximum flight speed, a 16% increase in the maximum lift-to-drag ratio, and up to 10% increases in the available thrust at all flight speeds.