A Novel Calculation Approach for Helicopter Blades Forces

The calculation for helicopter blades forces according to the designed parameters of a given aerofoil is an important but challenging problem. The more and more calculation approaches based on computer are introduced for tackle with this problem, such as CFD (computational fluid dynamics) and some airflow field analysis. In this paper, we mainly deal with the calculation approach for helicopter blades force as well as the force distribution along the radial direction of blade. A facile method named downwash-blade element is applied to calculate the single blades force according to blade element theory and vortex theory. The revolving and downwash effect of the airflow are taken into account in this approach. The calculation process and key problems also are presented as well as one instance is introduced to validate the efficiency.