Airfoil Terminology

Span

Center of Pressure
Upper Chamber

Leading Edge

Mean Chamber Line

Chord Line
Trailing Edge

Lower Chamber

Types of Airfoils
Symmetrical

Equal chamber on each side

Each half mirror image of other
Mean chamber line and chord line are coincidental
Produces zero lift at zero angle of attack
Constant center of pressure with varying angles of
attack

Nonsymmetrical

Greater curvature above the chord line then below

Chord and chamber line are not coincidental
Produces useful lift even at negative angles of attack
Produces more lift at a given angle of attack than
symmetrical
Better stall characteristics than symmetrical
Good lift to drag ratio
Limited to low relative wind velocity, <300 knots
Excessive center of pressure travel up to 20% of chord line

Airfoil (Rotor Blade) Angles

Angle of Incidence
(pitch angle)
ne
i
L
rd
C ho

Tip Path Plane

The mechanical angle between the chord line of the airfoil

and the plane of rotation of the rotor (tip path plane).
Changed by collective and cyclic feathering. Any change in
the angle of incidence changes the angle of attack.

Airfoil (Rotor Blade) Angles

Angle of Attack
(aerodynamic angle)
Line
d
r
W
Cho
Resultant R

Induced Flow

Tip Path Plane

The acute angle formed between the chord line of an airfoil

and the resultant relative wind. As an aerodynamic angle the
angle of attack can change with no apparent change in
angle of incidence.

6 Angle of Attack

12 Angle of Attack

18 Angle of Attack

24 Angle of Attack

CL Max

Stall

Questions?

Enabling Learning Objective #5

From memory, the student will identify, by writing or
selecting from a list, the principles of cyclic and
collective feathering and the importance of rotarywing flight, the significance of blade flapping and the
significance of blade hunting and the forces
involved with hunting IAW FM 1-203

Rotational Airflow
(no forward movement)
Circular movement of the rotor blades...

Tip Speed
700 FPS

Tip Speed
700 FPS

...Produces basic rotational relative wind.

Maximum speed is at the tip of the blade
and decreases uniformly to the hub

Feathering
Feathering is the rotation of the blade about its
span-wise axis
Feathering can be uniform throughout the rotor through
collective inputs.
Feathering can be adjusted differentially through cyclic
manipulation

Lets look at some examples of feathering...

Collective Feathering
The changing of the angle of incidence equally and in the
same direction on all of the rotor blades simultaneously
Changes the angle of attack, which changes the
coeffiecient of lift, which changes the overall lift of the rotor

+
+
+

Cyclic Feathering
Differential change in angle of incidence around the rotor
Fore or aft cyclic movements result in changes in angle of
incidence at the 3 and 9 oclock positions around the rotor
Lateral cyclic movements result in the angle of incidence
changing at the 12 and 6 oclock positions around the rotor

Forward cyclic inputs

A forward cyclic input increases pitch angle at the 9 oclock

position, and decreases it at the 3 oclock position. Due to
phase lag, the greatest upflap occurs at the 6 oclock
position. Total aerodynamic force inclines forward.

Aft cyclic inputs

An aft cyclic input increases in the pitch of the blade at the

3 oclock position while decreasing it at the 9 oclock position.
Due to phase lag, the highest upflap occurs at the 12 oclock
position. Total aerodynamic force inclines to the rear.

Lateral Cyclic Inputs

+
Lateral cyclic inputs change the pitch angle at the 12 oclock
and 6 oclock position. Due to phase lag those changes are
manifested in the rotor system 90 degrees later. The resulting
rotor attitude change causes the helicopter to move in the
desired direction

Flapping
Flapping is the up and down movement of the rotor blades
about a flapping hinge (or flexible hub)
Blades flap in response to changes in lift caused by
changes in velocity of the relative wind across the airfoil, or
by cyclic feathering
No flapping occurs when the tip path plane is perpendicular
to the mast

Contributions
Helps prevent dyssemmetry of lift
Allows the rotor system to tilt in the desired direction in
response to cyclic inputs

Lead and Lag

Rotor blades in an articulated system lead ahead
and lag behind their normal position in the rotor
system

Causes
Angle of attack changes and drag forces
Coriolis force, or the change in the relative
center of gravity along the span of the blade

Sequence when blade flaps up

Blade CG

R2
R1

As the center of gravity moves inboard, a smaller radius of travel is

produced. This causes the advancing blade to speed up or hunt. A vertical
hinge pin (articulated rotor) allows the blade to sweep forward and
absorbs stress that would otherwise be transmitted to the blade.