We focus on the use of swashplate-based and on-blade rotor controls, primarily for performance improvement, vibration reduction, and swashplateless operation. The main objectives of this research activity are:
- To develop improved methodologies for the analysis and design of active rotor controls; and
- To apply these methodologies to the open- and closed-loop analysis and design of helicopters with active rotor controls.
We have recently presented some simulation results for a swashplateless helicopter, broadly similar to the UH-60 (download the paper). We assumed that the primary controls were generates by trailing edge flaps, and studied trim, aeromechanical stability, and frequency response to pilot inputs (bandwidth and phase delay), as a function of several blade and trailing edge flap parameters. This work is part of Carlos Malpica's Ph.D. dissertation.