Eulerian Simulation of the Fluid Dynamics of Helicopter Brownout

Phillips, C. and Brown, R.E. (2009) Eulerian Simulation of the Fluid Dynamics of Helicopter Brownout. Journal of Aircraft, 46(4), pp. 1416-1429. (doi: 10.2514/1.41999)

Abstract

A computational model is presented for simulating the development of the dust cloud that can be entrained into the air when a helicopter is operated close to the ground in dusty conditions. The physics of this problem and the associated condition known as brownout, where the pilots lose situational awareness as a result of their vision being occluded by dust suspended in the flow around the helicopter, are very complex. The approach advocated here involves an approximation of the full dynamics of the coupled particulate-air system. Away from the ground, the model assumes that the suspended particles remain in near equilibrium under the action of aerodynamic forces. Close to the ground, this model is replaced by an algebraic sublayer model for the saltation and entrainment process. The model is used to analyze the differences in the geometry and extent of the dust clouds that are produced by single main rotor and tandem-rotor configurations as they decelerate to land and shows that the location of the ground vortex and the size of any regions of recirculatory flow, should they exist, play a primary role in governing the extent of the dust cloud that is created by the helicopter.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Brown, Dr Richard
• Authors: Phillips, C., and Brown, R.E.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Autonomous Systems and Connectivity
• Journal Name: Journal of Aircraft
• ISSN: 0021-8669