Blade Tip-Vortices of a Four-Bladed Rotor with Axial Inflow

Abstract

The vortex system of four rotating and pitching DSA-9A blades was examined numerically and experimentally. Numerical computations were performed using German Aerospace Center (DLR)’s finite-volume solver TAU and were validated against experimental data gathered using particle image velocimetry carried out at the rotor test facility (RTG) in Göttingen. Algorithms deriving the vortex position, swirl velocity, circulation, and core radius were implemented. Hover-like conditions with a fixed blade pitch were analyzed giving further physical insights of the static vortex system. These results are used to understand the vortex development for the unsteady pitching conditions, which can be described as a superpositioning of static vortex states. The use of a zonal detached-eddy simulations approach improved physical modeling of the vortex development by resolving finer scales than URANS. Trimmed cases agree well with differences less than 0.5% in the circulation and swirl velocity.