Rotor Tip Vortex Flow Visualization with Laser Sheet

Objective: Visualize the tip vortex behavior in ground effect of our full-scale human-powered helicopter rotor using a laser sheet. The laser sheet was created using a high-power laser pointer with rotating mirrors. The "smoke" is created from inexpensive party fog machines.

Purpose: Determine whether large, slowly-rotating rotors are more like fixed-wings or normal rotors. Also: create *really* cool flow vis videos.

Conclusion: While not quantitative, it was clear that the tip vortex of a previous blade is still in relatively close proximity to the next blade. This would imply a fixed-wing analysis would be insufficient as it would not consider the wake of previous blade passages.

Flow Visualization: Zak Kaler, Joe Schmaus, Ben Berry
Photography/Editing: Ben Berry
Filmed on a Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 lens
Music: "Nitronic" by Zircon (Andrew Aversa) zirconmusic.com

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Human
• Powered
• Helicopter
• Rotor
• Laser
• Sheet
• Flow
• Visualization
• Vis
• Rotating
• Mirror
• Smoke
• Fog
• Vortex
• Tip
• Vortices
• Ground
• Effect
• University
• of
• Maryland
• College
• Park
• Clark
• School
• Gamera
• Engineering
• HPH
• Sikorsky
• Prize
• AHS
• Alfred
• Gessow
• Rotorcraft
• Center
• Zircon
• Nitronic
• Antigravity

[Helicopterpilot16]

What are the blades made out of? And how were they constructed?

[TeamGameraHPH]

@Helicopterpilot16 Carbon fiber spar, polystyrene foam leading edge and ribs, balsa trailing edge, mylar skin wrap. As to HOW they were constructed... that's a long story.

[JustMrVBS]

that is really cool there. .... yeah that is all i'll say for now.

[aharrin1]

very interesting gentlemen. It looks like 1 tip vortex is stronger than the other. Also, you are getting two vortices combining into 1 about every third blade passage. You really have to watch carefully to see it but the best examples of it in the video are at 1:03, really good one at 1:10, another at 1:17, and another really good one at 1:27.