Simulation techniques for the study of the manoeuvring of advanced rotorcraft configurations

Inverse simulation is a technique by which the necessary control actions can be calculated for a vehicle to perform a particular manoeuvre. The manoeuvre definition is thus the input to the problem, and the output is a time history of the control motions. The realism of a result is clearly dependent on the fidelity and sophistication of the vehicle mathematical model. Present inverse simulation algorithms are limited by being model specific and only able to accommodate models of restricted complexity. For helicopters specifically the models used in inverse simulation are, in general, rudimentary in nature. The existing inverse simulation algorithm at Glasgow University, "Helinv" is specific to the helicopter model, "HGS". Though HGS is very advanced by comparison with other inverse simulation helicopter models, it lags far behind the state of the art in conventional simulation. The principal aims of this research were therefore twofold: to develop a robust, generic inverse simulation algorithm, "Genisa"; and to develop a state of the art individual blade helicopter rotor model, "Hibrom". Naturally verification and validation were integral to these aims. These objectives having been achieved the intention was to demonstrate the flexibility of Genisa and the value of Hibrom by performing inverse simulations of various rotorcraft configurations. As well as representing a novel tool in rotorcraft simulation, the development of a flexible inverse simulation algorithm which can accommodate complex models extends the boundaries of inverse problems in general. Genisa has proven to be both flexible and robust. Hibrom has been verified, validated and - using Genisa - successfully used in inverse simulation. The advantages of an individual blade model in inverse simulation have been demonstrated by comparing results with the disc model, HGS. Inverse simulations have been performed for various rotorcraft configurations identifying the respective benefits of the different vehicles. In all respects the aims identified above have been met in full