Aeroelastic and Biodynamic Modelling for Stability Analysis of Rotorcraft-Pilot Coupling Phenomena

This paper presents the current status of the investigation conducted by the authors as part of the GARTEUR HC AG-16 on Rotorcraft-Pilot Couplings (RPCs) governed by aeroservoelastic interactions. Phenomena of this type are caused by an ‘abnormal’ interaction between the pilot biodynamics and the rotorcraft structural dynamic response, and usually take place in the frequency range from 2 to 8 Hz. Complex multidisciplinary numerical models must be developed to accurately reproduce the mechanism that leads to this type of instability. To broaden the limited amount of information available in the open literature on rotorcraft pilot’s biodynamic response, a specific test campaign has been performed. The main results of these tests are presented in the paper. Original rotorcraft and pilot models developed by the authors, complemented by models taken from the literature, are used for the analysis of complete helicopter configurations, to single out possible occurrences of aeroelastic RPCs and analyse their sensitivity to several parameters.

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