TY - GEN
T1 - Design and Initial Flight Testing of a Coaxial Tilting-Head Compound Rotorcraft
AU - Bennink, James
AU - Langelaan, Jack W.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2024 by the Vertical Flight Society. All rights reserved.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - This paper describes the design and initial flight testing of a compound coaxial tilting head rotorcraft (CCT-HR). Control is provided by titling the rotor head for roll and pitch, differential rotor speed for yaw rate, and rotor speed for total thrust. In addition, a longitudinal thruster is incorporated to enable higher speed forward flight and to add a degree of freedom for longitudinal trim in forward flight. The intent is to explore the feasibility of this vehicle concept and to develop a vehicle that can be used to explore control strategies. The steady state flight envelope is developed analytically; a simulation of longitudinal degrees of freedom is described and a control method for forward flight that incorporates the thruster is proposed. Results of near-hover flight tests are described and initial tests of forward flight using the thruster are described. The vehicle is shown to be stable and easily controllable near hover; in thruster-powered forward flight unmodeled rotor dynamics result in instability.
AB - This paper describes the design and initial flight testing of a compound coaxial tilting head rotorcraft (CCT-HR). Control is provided by titling the rotor head for roll and pitch, differential rotor speed for yaw rate, and rotor speed for total thrust. In addition, a longitudinal thruster is incorporated to enable higher speed forward flight and to add a degree of freedom for longitudinal trim in forward flight. The intent is to explore the feasibility of this vehicle concept and to develop a vehicle that can be used to explore control strategies. The steady state flight envelope is developed analytically; a simulation of longitudinal degrees of freedom is described and a control method for forward flight that incorporates the thruster is proposed. Results of near-hover flight tests are described and initial tests of forward flight using the thruster are described. The vehicle is shown to be stable and easily controllable near hover; in thruster-powered forward flight unmodeled rotor dynamics result in instability.
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M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85196758603
T3 - Vertical Flight Society 80th Annual Forum and Technology Display
BT - Vertical Flight Society 80th Annual Forum and Technology Display
PB - Vertical Flight Society
T2 - 80th Annual Vertical Flight Society Forum and Technology Display, FORUM 2024
Y2 - 7 May 2024 through 9 May 2024
ER -