NTCC REDO

Helicopter Blade Analysis in 3D

Submitted to
Amity University Uttar Pradesh

By
Ajay Raj Singh

under the guidance of

Mr V K Joshi

AMITY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY DOMAIN OF ENGINEERING

TECHNOLOGY UTTAR PRADESH

 DECLARATION

I, Ajay Raj Singh, student of B.Tech (Aeronautical Engineering), hereby declare

that I am redoing my NTCC Minor Project titled “Helicopter Blade Analysis in 3D”
under the supervision of Mr. V. K. Joshi, due to technical and academic challenges
that hindered the timely and satisfactory completion of the project during the
original submission phase. I understand the importance of the NTCC component in
the educational curriculum and express my full commitment to completing this
project with utmost sincerity, diligence, and within the stipulated timeline. I also
affirm that all work undertaken for this project will be original and solely intended
for academic evaluation.

Noida

Date Ajay Raj Singh

 CERTIFICATE

On the basis of the declaration submitted by Mr. Ajay Raj Singh, Roll Number
A164104921008, student of B.Tech – Aeronautical Engineering (Batch 2021–2025), this
is to certify that he is permitted to redo the NTCC Minor Project “Helicopter Blade
Analysis in 3D” under my supervision as part of the curriculum requirement. This project
is being redone due to earlier technical or academic challenges and is now being pursued
sincerely under proper guidance. The student is expected to complete the project work
with due diligence, originality, and within the prescribed timeline in accordance with
university regulations. I wish him success in the completion of the project.

Noida
Date

Mr V K Joshi
Amity Institute of Technology
Domain of Engineering and Technology
Amity University Uttar Pradesh
 CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Helicopter Rotor Blade Theory
1.2 User-Defined Functions
1.3 OBJECTIVE
1.4 METHODOLOGY
2 CFD STUDY
2.1 Case
2.1.1 Creating the Geometry for Analysis
2.2 Case Simulation
2.2.1 Creating the Geometry for Analysis
2.2.2 Setup
2.2.3 Solver
2.2.4 Solution
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Case 1
3.2 Case 2
 Acknowledgement

First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. V. K. Joshi, my
project supervisor, for his invaluable guidance, support, and mentorship throughout the
course of my NTCC Minor Project titled “Helicopter Blade Analysis in 3D.” His deep
knowledge, encouragement, and constructive feedback have been instrumental in shaping
the direction and outcome of this project. I am truly thankful for the time and effort he
has invested in helping me grow academically and professionally.

I am also deeply grateful to the faculty members and technical staff of the
Aeronautical Engineering Department for providing a stimulating academic
environment and for their support during various phases of the project. Their insights and
assistance, whether direct or indirect, have contributed significantly to my learning and
progress.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to my peers and fellow students who have been a constant
source of motivation and inspiration. The exchange of ideas and feedback has greatly
enriched my understanding and helped me overcome many challenges during this project.

Lastly, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my family and friends for
their unwavering encouragement, patience, and emotional support. Their belief in me has
given me the strength and motivation to complete this project with dedication.

Completing this project has been a deeply rewarding and educational experience, and I
am sincerely thankful to all who have contributed to its successful completion.

SYMBOLS
𝜌 – 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦
𝑣 – velocity
𝑆 – 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎
𝐶l – 𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡
𝐶m – 𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒
𝐶m(c/4) – 𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑑 (0.25𝑐)
𝐶d – 𝐷𝑟𝑎𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑙_𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠 – 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚
𝑐𝑑_𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠 – 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑦𝑡𝑒𝑚
𝑐𝑙_𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠 – 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑦𝑡𝑒𝑚
𝑐𝑑_𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠 – 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑦𝑡𝑒𝑚
𝑅 – 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠
𝛽 – 𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒
𝜓 – 𝑎𝑧𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒
𝑈R – 𝑅𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑝 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑
𝛼 – 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑐𝑘
𝜔 – 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦
𝛺
– 𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑
𝑡 – 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒
f – frequency

1 INTRODUCTION
1.1Helicopter Rotor Blade Theory
In Helicopters, the velocity is provided by the rotation of the rotor which is driven at certain
speed by the engine. The rotor lift FN is normal to the plane of rotation. The propulsive force in
the helicopter is provided by tilting the plane of rotation.

• FS is the lift balancing the weight, 𝐹s = (0.5𝜌𝑣 2 ) × 𝑆 × 𝐶l

• TH is the propulsive force, balancing the aircraft drag and causing forward motion.

In rotor blades, the circumferential velocity is proportional to the radius V=ωR. In an untwisted
rotor the lift force increases from the root to tip of the blade as the relative velocity increases
with rotation radius R, as a result the centre of pressure is located near the blade tip. This
generates bending moment and it is applied to the root end. This bending moment generates high
stresses at the blade attachment points and is undesirable. So as to achieve a better load
distribution a twisted blade is used. The blade is twisted along its longitudinal axis so that it
operates at high angle of attack near the rotor head and at a low angle of attack towards the blade
tip where relative velocity is high. This results in progressive decrease in lift and drag values.
To achieve better load distribution in the case of untwisted blade, the flapping motion of the
blade is introduced with the help of the flapping hinge. This reduces the blade bending moment.
As the helicopter rotor operates at constant speed (rotates at constant rpm), the lift is controlled
by varying the angle of attack. This is done by varying the blade pitch angle θ achieved by
rotating the blade about its longitudinal (feathering) axis using the feathering hinge.
During forward flight, the blade tip speed U is compounded with the forward speed 𝑉. The
resultant speed has a tangential component “UR”, which is the relative tip speed. UR varies
according to blade azimuth angle ψ. The blade flapping angle β varies according to the relative
tip speed. β is maximum when the relative tip speed is equal to the blade tip speed, this is when
the blades longitudinal axis is aligned in the direction of the forward speed i.e., ψ = 0°. Flapping
angle β is minimum when ψ = 180°.
Blade Equilibrium Condition: For a given value of lift Fn, the flapping motion stops when
resultant of Fn and centrifugal force passes through the flapping axis. The moment of the
resultant is equal to zero.
Variation of pitch according to flapping: The pitch change lever controls the pitch of the blade
along its longitudinal axis. The direction of UR determines the blade angle of attack. The angle
of attack of the descending blade is greater than that of the rising blade. The blade pitch is
maximum at a point where the velocity UR is at minimum value and is minimum at point, where
velocity UR is at maximum value.

During flapping, the circular trajectory of the blade element is modified. Its effective radius
decreases as the blade rises. Due to inertia, the blade element tends to maintain its initial velocity
during the trajectory change. The inertia forces create a resultant bending moment, tending to
twist the blade in the direction of rotation. While descending, the bending moment tends to twist
the blade in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation. So as to cancel these alternating
inertial forces, a drag hinge is used, allowing the blade to oscillate horizontally about a mean
position.

Controlling the Rotor Lift: The rotor lift direction and magnitude are controlled by collective
pitch variation and cyclic pitch variation.

Collective Pitch Variation: The pitch angle θ varies simultaneously on all blades by the same
amount, whatever the position in azimuth.

Cyclic Pitch Variation: The pitch angle θ varies in relation to the azimuth from a maximum to
minimum value over a complete revolution of a blade.

In most cases a symmetric airfoil is used for rotor blades as it is more stable, centre of pressure is
fixed and coincides with the aerodynamic centre and feathering axis.

1.2 User-Defined Functions

A user-defined function (UDF) is a C or C++ function that can be dynamically loaded with
ANSYS Fluent solver. UDF starts with a header #include “udf.h”.
Every UDF file can contain one or more than one function. Two types of UDF files:

Interpreted: This type of file is used to write few small functions without accessing the
solver dynamic data.
Compiled: This type of file accesses the solver memory & performs the desired task. The
UDFs are defined using DEFINE macros available in ANSYS Fluent. For the purpose of this
study, the macro used is DEFINE_CG_MOTION.
DEFINE_CG_MOTION(name,dt,vel,omega,time,dtime)
1.3 OBJECTIVE
The objective of the project is to study the rotor blade section by considering NACA 0012
Airfoil for the analysis in transient cases. The following study has been done over the airfoil:
1. Steady analysis of the flow over airfoil by varying the angle of attack.
2. Transient analysis of the airfoil in pure pitching motion with the pitch angle varying as
30°±30° and with a frequency of 6Hz.

Figure 0 : NACA0012 Airfoil

1.4 METHODOLOGY
The analysis of the flow is done using Ansys Fluent Flow Workbench for both steady and
transient cases. K-ω SST model has been used for the analysis. For the analysis NACA 0012
airfoil is considered with a chord length of 1m. The following flow conditions have been taken
into consideration throughout the study.
• Inlet Velocity = 87.646 m/s
• Density = 1.225 Kg/m3
• Viscosity = 1.7894×10-5 kg m-1 s -1
User Defined Functions have been used to define the motion of the airfoil. The macro
DEFINE_CG_MOTION is used in transient analysis to create the user defined function.
Tools and Software used:
 1. Ansys Fluent Workbench
2. Notepad & C-language
3. Microsoft Excel
4. Microsoft Word Document

The contours of velocity, pressure and turbulent kinetic energy are obtained from the analysis to
visually understand the flow over the airfoil. Along with this the lift coefficient, drag coefficient,
moment coefficient and pressure coefficient data are obtained to understand the flow
characteristics in dynamic case. The steady simulation of the airfoil at varying angle of attacks is
validated with experimental and other CFD results published by NASA

2 CFD STUDY
The steps involved in CFD study is as follows:
1. Geometry Creation
2. Generating a Mesh
3. Setup
4. Solving

2.1 Case
Steady analysis of the flow over airfoil by varying the angle of attack.

2.1.1 Creating the Geometry for Analysis

The .dat or the .csv file of NACA 0012 airfoil is used and converted into the format as shown in
Figure 2 : Coordinate file of airfoil and then saving it as .txt (tab delimited) so as to enable
Ansys to read the coordinates from the file. So as to make a closed curve of the airfoil the last
coordinate is added as shown in Figure 1 : Coordinate file of airfoil & Figure 2 :
Coordinate file of airfoil
 Figure 1 : Coordinate file of airfoil

Figure 2 : Coordinate file of airfoil

● Importing the coordinates file to Geometry in Workbench, Concept → 3D Curve

→ Definition → From coordinates file → Locate the file → Operation →
Add Frozen → Generate. The 3D curve is generated.
● Generating a surface from the 3D curve, Concept → Surfaces From Edges → Select
the airfoil →Generate.
● In the XY-plane, the domain around the airfoil is created with the following dimensions
shown in.
 Figure 3 : Sketch of Domain

● Generating a surface from the sketch, Concept → Surfaces From Sketches → Base
Object → Select the Sketch → Operation → Add Frozen →Generate.
 ● The airfoil surface is subtracted from the surfaces. Create → Boolean → Operation
→Subtract → Target Body → Surface body (sketch surface) → Tool Body → Surface
body (airfoil) → Generate.
● The generated domain surface is extruded from Create → Extrude.
● The NACA 0012 Blade is Split into upper section and lower section by the Chord
plane. Tools → Face Split.

Note:
The geometry is generated and the Line Body in Parts and Bodies is to be suppressed before
proceeding with meshing.

2.2 Case Simulation

Transient analysis of the flow over airfoil in pure pitching motion

The airfoil executes a simple harmonic motion with its pitch varying with time given by the
equation, (𝛩𝑡) = 10° + 10° × 𝑠𝑖𝑛(𝑡𝜔) and rotational velocity is given by the equation, (𝛺𝑡) = 10° ×
𝜋
(/180°) ×𝜔 × 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝑡𝜔) (𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑) The initial pitch of the airfoil is set to 10° by
rotating the airfoil about z-axis and is set to execute an oscillating/pitching motion with a
frequency of 6Hz and with the pitching angle varying as ±10° with a maximum pitch angle
of 20° and minimum pitch angle of 0°.
Note: A positive value of rotational velocity indicates a counter clockwise rotation.

2.2.1 Generating the Mesh

The mesh generated for this case is a mixed type including triangular and quadrilateral
elements. The mesh is quadrilateral in the inflation layer around the edge of the airfoil and
is maintained triangular in the rest of the domain. Since in pure pitching motion, the
boundary displacement is large compared to local cell sizes, this might deteriorate the cell
quality and lead to convergence problems when the solution is updated to the next time
step. So, a dynamic mesh is used which includes spring-based smoothing and remeshing
done for every time-step. The dynamic mesh is enabled in setup. Further, the local cell
remeshing affects only triangular elements so a mixed type of elements is chosen for
dynamic analysis.
Edges sizes for the airfoil and Domain edges with the behavoir from Soft to Hard. The
element Shape is Hex Dominant.
The average orthogonal quality of the mesh is 0.95182. The height of inflation layer is
approximately 30mm and minimum edge length obtained is 9.16e-06 mm.
 Figure 4 : Mesh of Domain & around the Airfoil

NOTE:
Errors in mesh were faced as the mesh was distorted towards the T.E. and L.E this was solved
via trial-and-error method to change the number of divisions of the airfoil edge and the
number of layers of the inflation layer

2.2.2 Setup
In Setup the solver is set to transient and K-ω SST model is chosen for the study. The boundary
conditions for the inlet velocity are specified as magnitude and direction, with velocity
magnitude 87.644 m/s, x-component of flow direction is set to 1 and the y-component of flow
direction is set to 0. The inflation is modified as a separate zone and is given a rigid motion along
with airfoil using UDF whereas the rest of the domain is set to deforming type. The UDF code is
built using built-in compiler and loaded into the ANSYS library.
Spring-based smoothing and remeshing is enabled in the dynamic mesh options. The dynamic
mesh zones are created by setting the inflation layers and airfoil as rigid type and the interior
surface body as deforming.
The boundary conditions are same as specified in except the inlet velocity x-component of flow
direction is set to 1 and the y-component of flow direction is set to 0.

Figure 5 : Boundary Conditions Inlet & Outlet

2.2.2.1 UDF code for oscillating motion

#include "udf.h"
#include "math.h"
DEFINE_CG_MOTION(object_mov,dt,vel,omega,time,dtime)
{ real p,w;
p=10; /*pitch=10degrees*/
w=2*M_PI*6; /*frequency=6hz*/
vel[0]=0;
vel[1]=0;
vel[2]=0;
omega[0]=0;
omega[1]=0;
omega[2]=10*(M_PI/180)*w*cos(w*time); }

NOTE:
Changes in UDF code were made via trial and error to get the proper motion of airfoil
according to the Case
2.2.3 Solver
The report files of lift coefficient, drag coefficient and moment coefficient are defined in the
report definitions. Solution initialization is set to compute from inlet. For calculation the time
step size is set to 0.01s and a maximum of 100 iterations per time step is assigned to the solver.
Solution animations are set to export the mesh motion, contours of pressure, velocity and
turbulent kinetic energy after each time step.

NOTE:
Negative cell volume error and floating point errors were faced in these cases the mesh was
again refined or coarsened and the geometry was checked for any errors. It was found that in a
lot of cases the T.E. of the airfoil was excluded from the mesh and a distortion was found in the
shape of the airfoil to avoid it further within the setup in the geometry the line body was
suppressed

2.2.4 Solution
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Case 1
Steady analysis of the flow over airfoil by varying the angle of attack.
The following table shows the results obtained through the CFD study of the flow over the
airfoil.

The following graphs include Ladson’s experimental data and current CFD study of the flow
over the airfoil. It is observed that the CFD results closely resemble with the experimental
results. The value of maximum Cl is 1.419 at 15° in the case of CFD analysis whereas the value
of maximum Cl is 1.5364 at 15.15°. From the above table it can be observed that the airfoil
begins to stall between 15° and 16°. The flow begins to separate from the trailing edge. When the
analysis is done at 17° angle of attack a complete flow separation is seen and the flow becomes
unsteady in the region of separation as seen.
 Figure 6 : velocity contour at AOA16

Figure 7 : velocity contour at AOA17

NOTE: Referred content from internal research paper

3.2 Case 2
Transient analysis of the flow over airfoil in pure pitching motion.

The airfoil complete one oscillation in 0.1666s. The variation in the force coefficients is
shown in the graphs . In this case, the variation of the force coefficients is shown for a
period of one second starting from the 1st second of the flow time.

REFERANCE GRAPHS FROM INTERNAL PAPER