On the Dynamics of a Helicopter Rotor Blade
M.R.M.Crespo da Silva
Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanics
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY 12180-3590, USA
Abstract
As in practically all dynamical systems, the differential equations
that govern the flap-lag-torsional dynamics of helicopter rotor blade are
strongly nonlinear. The nonlinearities are due to the elastic deformation
of the rotor blade (even if the blade's material is linearly elastic),
and to the nonlinear dependence of the generalized aerodynamic forces
on the elastic deflections of the blade. The analysis of the response
of a helicopter rotor blade is presented in this paper. First, the
nonlinear partial differential equations of motion are presented.
The equilibrium solution exhibited by the system is then determined
numerically by solving the nonlinear two-point boundary value problem
that describes the motion governed by a set of ordinary differential
equations obtained from the partial differential equations. The
equilibrium solution is then perturbed and the stability of infinitesimally
small perturbations is analyzed. The many possibilities for the occurrence
of nonlinear resonances in the system, and further work involving the effect
of the nonlinearities, are also discussed.
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