Flight Dynamics and Control of a Helicopter with a Cycloidal Rotor as Torque/Thrust Compounding System.
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| Title: | Flight Dynamics and Control of a Helicopter with a Cycloidal Rotor as Torque/Thrust Compounding System. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Saetti, Umberto1 saetti@umd.edu, Bugday, Batin2 |
| Source: | Journal of the American Helicopter Society. Apr2026, Vol. 71 Issue 2, p1-22. 22p. |
| Subjects: | Rotor dynamics, Rotors, Flight control systems, Feedback control systems, Stability theory, Computational aerodynamics |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the integration of a cycloidal tail rotor as a replacement for the conventional tail rotor in helicopter configurations, focusing on its dual functionality as both an antitorque mechanism and an auxiliary propulsion system. Unlike traditional tail rotors, the cycloidal tail rotor can direct thrust in any direction perpendicular to its axis of rotation, enabling enhanced maneuverability, including the ability to hover at arbitrary pitch attitudes, assist in forward flight, and execute rapid acceleration and deceleration. The cycloidal tail rotor was modeled for flight simulation and incorporated into a generic multi-rotor/wing flight dynamics code to simulate two configurations of a utility helicopter similar to an H-60: one with a conventional tail rotor and the other with a cycloidal tail rotor. A design optimization study defined the geometry of the cycloidal tail rotor, followed by trim, performance, and stability analyses. Results showed that the cycloidal tail rotor configuration exhibited similar trim characteristics to the conventional tail rotor, with minor differences in control inputs and power consumption. The cycloidal tail rotor provided additional propulsive force in forward flight, reducing the pitch-forward requirement and offloading the main rotor, leading to slightly higher power consumption in hover but reduced power requirements at high speeds. Additionally, the cycloidal rotor enabled trimming at arbitrary pitch attitudes. Stability and frequency response analyses revealed minimal differences in flight dynamics, suggesting the feasibility of integrating a cycloidal tail rotor without significantly altering stability or handling qualities. Dynamic inversion control laws adopting pseudo-inverse control allocation demonstrated the ability to reallocate control effort between the main rotor and the cycloidal rotor, with the cycloidal tail rotor acting as a pusher propeller. This reduced the main rotor workload and allowed for a less pronounced nose-down/up pitch attitude during aggressive acceleration/deceleration maneuvers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of the American Helicopter Society is the property of American Helicopter Society dba Vertical Flight Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 193895968 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Flight Dynamics and Control of a Helicopter with a Cycloidal Rotor as Torque/Thrust Compounding System. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Saetti%2C+Umberto%22">Saetti, Umberto</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> saetti@umd.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bugday%2C+Batin%22">Bugday, Batin</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+the+American+Helicopter+Society%22">Journal of the American Helicopter Society</searchLink>. Apr2026, Vol. 71 Issue 2, p1-22. 22p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rotor+dynamics%22">Rotor dynamics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rotors%22">Rotors</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Flight+control+systems%22">Flight control systems</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Feedback+control+systems%22">Feedback control systems</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stability+theory%22">Stability theory</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Computational+aerodynamics%22">Computational aerodynamics</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: This study investigates the integration of a cycloidal tail rotor as a replacement for the conventional tail rotor in helicopter configurations, focusing on its dual functionality as both an antitorque mechanism and an auxiliary propulsion system. Unlike traditional tail rotors, the cycloidal tail rotor can direct thrust in any direction perpendicular to its axis of rotation, enabling enhanced maneuverability, including the ability to hover at arbitrary pitch attitudes, assist in forward flight, and execute rapid acceleration and deceleration. The cycloidal tail rotor was modeled for flight simulation and incorporated into a generic multi-rotor/wing flight dynamics code to simulate two configurations of a utility helicopter similar to an H-60: one with a conventional tail rotor and the other with a cycloidal tail rotor. A design optimization study defined the geometry of the cycloidal tail rotor, followed by trim, performance, and stability analyses. Results showed that the cycloidal tail rotor configuration exhibited similar trim characteristics to the conventional tail rotor, with minor differences in control inputs and power consumption. The cycloidal tail rotor provided additional propulsive force in forward flight, reducing the pitch-forward requirement and offloading the main rotor, leading to slightly higher power consumption in hover but reduced power requirements at high speeds. Additionally, the cycloidal rotor enabled trimming at arbitrary pitch attitudes. Stability and frequency response analyses revealed minimal differences in flight dynamics, suggesting the feasibility of integrating a cycloidal tail rotor without significantly altering stability or handling qualities. Dynamic inversion control laws adopting pseudo-inverse control allocation demonstrated the ability to reallocate control effort between the main rotor and the cycloidal rotor, with the cycloidal tail rotor acting as a pusher propeller. This reduced the main rotor workload and allowed for a less pronounced nose-down/up pitch attitude during aggressive acceleration/deceleration maneuvers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of the American Helicopter Society is the property of American Helicopter Society dba Vertical Flight Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.4050/JAHS.71.022003 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 22 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Rotor dynamics Type: general – SubjectFull: Rotors Type: general – SubjectFull: Flight control systems Type: general – SubjectFull: Feedback control systems Type: general – SubjectFull: Stability theory Type: general – SubjectFull: Computational aerodynamics Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Flight Dynamics and Control of a Helicopter with a Cycloidal Rotor as Torque/Thrust Compounding System. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Saetti, Umberto – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Bugday, Batin IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 04 Text: Apr2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00028711 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 71 – Type: issue Value: 2 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of the American Helicopter Society Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
