SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPROVED ROTOR TIP PERFORMANCE

摘要

The present invention discloses systems (10) and methods for the performance enhancement of rotary wing aircraft through reduced torque, noise and vibration. In one embodiment, a system includes a sail (12) having an aerodynamic shape positioned proximate to a tip (14) of the rotor blade (16). An actuator (22) may be configured to rotate the sail (12) relative to the blade tip (14). A control system (28) receives information from a rotorcraft system and commands the actuator (22) to rotate the sail (12) to a predetermined favorable rotor blade operating condition. In another embodiment, a method includes configuring the rotorcraft in a selected flight condition, communicating input signals (30) to a control system (28) operable to position sails (12) coupled to tips of blades (14) of a rotor assembly, processing the input signals (30) according to a constraint condition to generate sail positional information, and transferring the sail positional information to the sail (12).