ortun08-SEMINAIRE

This paper presents the first activities in the development of a coupling between HOST, a rotorcraft comprehensive analysis code, and 3D Computational Structural Mechanics (CSM) and Computational Fluid Mechanics (CFD) analyses. The objective of this coupling is to introduce 3D finite element based structural dynamics models in rotorcraft aeromechanics analysis. A strong coupling procedure has been adopted, where information is exchanged at each time step. The strong coupling here developed can yield trimmed solutions for steady-flight conditions, thanks to an active trim option developed in HOST. The new coupling has been tested by simulating a highspeed level flight condition for the isolated 7A and ERATO rotors, for which wind tunnel measurements are available. Results for the 7A rotor are compared to a previous HOST/CFD coupling and to experiments. Preliminary results for the ERATO rotor are compared to HOST results and to experiments. The coupling procedure and the active trim are validated. The potential of this new high-accuracy analysis is highlighted.