| Title: | Investigation of a stop-fold tiltrotor |
| Author: | Bosworth, Jeff |
| Abstract: | In 1967 the US Air Force solicited proposals for ``low-disc-loading [Vertical Takeoff and Landing] configurations suitable for high speed flight.' Bell Helicopter elected to respond with a proposal after initial analysis on configurations including a stopped edgewise disc and a trail rotor. They concluded that a folding proprotor design would best meet the requirements laid forth. Initial analysis work began on this folding proprotor (stop-fold) design in the same year and concluded in 1972 with a full scale 25 foot diameter pylon and rotor assembly wind tunnel test at the NASA-Ames Large Scale Wind Tunnel. The project was concluded at this point and never resulted in a production or research aircraft. The original proposed stop-fold tiltrotor design by Bell Helicopter allowed for vertical takeoff and landing, a transition sequence rotating the pylon rotor assembly from helicopter to airplane mode, a conversion sequence during which the rotor stopped and blades folded along the pylon, and a transition from prop thrust to auxiliary jet engine power while the rotor was being stopped. This configuration effectively removes the high-speed restraints typical of a prop-driven aircraft and instead opens a flight envelope comparable to a fixed-wing jet. This project entails both the simulation and basic analysis of the stop-fold concept with special attention to frequency responses and potential coupling between modes. |
| Type: | Thesis |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1853/29662 |
| Date: | 2009-07-09 |
| Publisher: | Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Subject: |
Tiltrotor
High speed rotorcraft Folding tiltrotor Tilt rotor aircraft Vertically rising aircraft Aeroelasticity Aerodynamics Rotors (Helicopters) |
| Department: | Aerospace Engineering |
| Advisor: | Committee Chair: Hodges, Dewey; Committee Member: Bauchau, Olivier; Committee Member: Sankar, Lakshmi |
| Degree: | M.S. |
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| bosworth_jeffrey_m_200908_mast.pdf | 584.7Kb |
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