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Introduction

Helicopter blades have to operate in many different flight conditions. An extreme case of this is the V-22 Osprey, a tiltrotor aircraft that takes off vertically like a helicopter, then rotates its rotors forward to act as propellers once airborne.

Obviously, the optimal rotor for helicopter performance is very different from the optimal rotor for propeller performance. Of the differences between the optimal rotors, the aerodynamic twist is perhaps the most significant. The current blades of the V-22 are a compromise between optimal twist for the helicopter and propeller modes [1].

However, with proper design, the coupling behavior of fiber-reinforced composites can cause the blade to twist to optimal shape both flight conditions. This paper aims to design such a blade.


next up previous
Next: Design Requirements Up: Attempt at a Very Previous: Attempt at a Very
Carl Banks
2000-05-04