Aerodynamic interaction study of the propeller/wing under different flow configurations

Interactional aerodynamics could significantly affect the rotary wing performance, the airframe loads, as well as the handling qualities of aircraft. It has become necessary for the nature of the vortical slipstream and its interference with aircraft components to be understood over a wide range of flight operating conditions. The propeller/wing aerodynamic interaction phenomena have been experimentally investigated at low subsonic speeds on a propeller/nacelle/half-wing configuration (P/N/W2). The P/N/W2 ensemble has been studied under different wind-tunnel flow configurations to simulate different conditions of the whole flight envelope including axial, conversion/reconversion, and hovering flights. The experimental investigation has been based on extensive overall and local data measurements performed on the propeller, the wake geometry, and the half-wing. The results exhibited the considerable influence of the flow configuration and the tilt angle parameter on the nature of the wake distortion due to the half-wing. It is also shown that such tip vortex trajectories distortions strongly affect both the instantaneous and mean lift and drag distributions along the half-wing span.