The applications of computational fluid dynamics to problems in rotorcraft aerodynamics:

The flowfield around a helicopter rotor in forward flight is intrinsically unsteady and contains many complex interacting flow phenomena. As a consequence experimental investigations are difficult to perform, difficult to interpret and costly. There is a clear need for reliable computational methods whose uncertainties are less than those of experiment. In this paper computational methods currently available for the solution of problems in rotor aerodynamics are examined and the current direction of research in this field identified.