Numerical Analysis of Helicopter Rotor Hovering in Close Proximity to the Ground with a Wall

Abstract

In rescue operations and emergency medical services, helicopters are frequently required to operate near the ground with obstacles such as buildings and sidewalls of highway. In this paper, numerical analysis of helicopter rotor hovering in close proximity to the ground with an obstacle is done by solving unsteady 3D compressible Euler equations with an overlapped grid system. The obstacle is simulated by a wall vertically set up on the ground. The parameters for numerical analysis are the rotor height and distance from the rotor-hub-center to the wall. The effects of combinations of these parameters on the flowfields around the rotor, inflow distributions on the rotor disc and behaviors of blade flapping motion are discussed. It is also clarified the cause that the helicopter rotor hovering in close proximity to the ground with a wall does not have the enough ground effect depending on the combinations of these parameters.