Single-Rotor Helicopter Dynamics and Maneuvering Simulation

This paper presents the development and validation of a robust flight dynamics model for simulation of a full-scale single-rotor helicopter dynamics and maneuvering. A minimum-complexity dynamic model is used to compute the aerodynamic forces and moments using trajectory-planning strategy. A high-order sliding mode (HOSM) observer is used as a numerical differentiator for computing time rate changes of longitudinal and lateral control inputs to the main rotor dynamics during maneuvering. The HOSM differentiator suppresses numerical instability and increases computation accuracy of both dynamic and kinematic characteristics. Using available data and flight test results for UH-60 helicopter, the control input characteristics are interpolated versus flight speeds. A pull-up maneuver is simulated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model