Project 11: Ducted Fan Model

Summary of Services Performed: Develop a ducted fan model in FLIGHTLAB that includes blade element modeling of the rotor, panel method modeling of the duct, and mutual interaction between the rotor and duct.

The ducted/shrouded fan has become widely adopted in modern rotorcraft as a safe, low noise, and effective anti-torque device. Ducted fans have also found popular applications as the main VTOL lifting device for recent uninhabited air vehicle (UAV) and flying automobile developments because of their compact structure and high lifting performance. The proposed research is dedicated to developing a high fidelity and efficient ducted fan modeling and simulation tool for helicopter anti-torque and UAV lifting applications. The development will focus on the following:

(1) The development of an efficient blade element fan model that can be applied for ducted fan performance, stability, and control analysis and simulation.

(2) The development of duct aerodynamic models with selective fidelity to address the duct lift augmentation effect and duct drag and moment variations in both axial and cross-wind conditions.

(3) The development of a coupled duct-fan model that allows for mutual aerodynamic interaction of the duct and the fan. Efforts will also be made to develop an effective and efficient rotor/airframe/duct/fan aerodynamic interaction model. The model will provide a comprehensive modeling tool to support the simulation of rotorcraft and VTOL air vehicles equipped with ducted fan devices.

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