An aeroelastic analysis of helicopter rotor blades incorporating piezoelectric fiber composite twist actuation

Wilkie, W. Keats; Park, K. C.

A simple aeroelastic analysis of a helicopter rotor blade incorporating embedded piezoelectric fiber composite, interdigitated electrode blade twist actuators is described. The analysis consist of a linear torsion and flapwise bending model coupled with a nonlinear ONERA based unsteady aerodynamics model. A modified Galerkin procedure is performed upon the rotor blade partial differential equations of motion to develop a system of ordinary differential equations suitable for numerical integration. The twist actuation responses for three conceptual full-scale blade designs with realistic constraints on blade mass are numerically evaluated using the analysis. Numerical results indicate that useful amplitudes of nonresonant elastic twist, on the order of one to two degrees, are achievable under one-g hovering flight conditions for interdigitated electrode poling configurations. Twist actuation for the interdigitated electrode blades is also compared with the twist actuation of a conventionally poled piezoelectric fiber composite blade. Elastic twist produced using the interdigitated electrode actuators was found to be four to five times larger than that obtained with the conventionally poled actuators.

Document ID

19960031942

Acquisition Source

Langley Research Center

Document Type

Technical Memorandum (TM)

Authors

Date Acquired

September 6, 2013

Publication Date

May 1, 1996

Subject Category

Report/Patent Number

Accession Number

96N29932

Funding Number(s)

Distribution Limits

Public

Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

Available Downloads

Name

Type

19960031942.pdf

STI

No Preview Available

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Available Downloads

Related Records