Safety analysis of rotors in ground effect

Rovere, F., Barakos, G. and Steijl, R. (2022) Safety analysis of rotors in ground effect. Aerospace Science and Technology, 129, 107655. (doi: 10.1016/j.ast.2022.107655)

Abstract

In this work, computational fluid dynamics was used to support safety analyses of rotors operating in ground effect. Initially, the research focused on the evaluation and prediction of the outwash generated by a hovering micro-rotor, and time-averaged outflow velocities were compared with experimental results. Then, using scaling factors, the simulated flowfield was used for safety studies using the PAXman model for forces on ground personnel, the Bangold model for particle uplift, and particle tracking. The paper also focused on the performance of a particle tracking algorithm, comparing execution times with different numbers of processors and for different amount of seeding particles. Different flight conditions were taken into account, including hover and taxiing. Results were then compared with safety criteria for wake encounters, and showed that brownout was more severe when the helicopter is flying at low forward speeds.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This project has received funding from the European Union’s H2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sktodowska-Curie grant agreement No 721920.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Rovere, Mr Federico and Barakos, Professor George and Steijl, Dr Rene
• Authors: Rovere, F., Barakos, G., and Steijl, R.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Autonomous Systems and Connectivity
• Journal Name: Aerospace Science and Technology
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1270-9638
• ISSN (Online): 1626-3219
• Published Online: 20 May 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Aerospace Science and Technology 129: 107655
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License