The applied aerodynamics studies of rotating wings carried out in the Applied Aerodynamics department (H2T unit) concern the analysis of flows around the complete helicopter or tilt-rotor aircraft and their isolated components (fuselage, rotor, tail rotor), as well as the interactions between the different components by the intermediary of the complex wakes that develop around the machine.
To this end, high performance computing methods and wind tunnel tests are deployed to predict and optimize helicopters' performances, whilst respecting the acoustic and structural constraints imposed. In-flight tests are also used to verify, at scale 1, the results obtained in the wind tunnel or by computation.
Powered model of the Dauphin:
visualization of the pressure coefficient on fuselage and blades
and of the vorticity in the wake of the retreating blade
Powered model of the Dauphin:
PIV measurements from tests in the F1 wind tunnel in January 2004 [animated GIF]
Powered model of the Dauphin:
turbulent unsteady Navier-Stokes calculation
[animated GIF]
![[animated GIF]](images/film_vort2.gif){kind=link}
![[animated GIF]](images/slicePIV_x15175_1S1.gif){kind=link}