Abstract
This work presents a framework for the optimisation of certain aspects of a BERP-like (British Experimental Rotor Programme) rotor blade in hover and forward flight so that maximum performance can be obtained from the blade. The proposed method employs a high-fidelity, efficient CFD technique that uses the Harmonic Balance method in conjunction with artificial neural networks (ANNs) as metamodels, and genetic algorithms (GAs) for optimisation. The approach has been previously demonstrated for the optimisation of blade twist in hover and the optimisation of rotor sections in forward flight, transonic aerofoils design, wing and rotor tip planforms. In this paper, a parameterisation technique was devised for the BERP-like rotor tip and its parameters were optimised for a forward flight case. A specific objective function was created using the initial CFD data and the metamodel was used for evaluating the objective function during the optimisation using the GAs. The objective function was adapted to improve forward flight performance in terms of pitching moment and torque. The obtained results suggest optima in agreement with engineering intuition but provide precise information about the shape of the final lifting surface and its performance. The main CPU cost was associated with the population of the CFD database necessary for the metamodel, especially since a full factorial method was used. The CPU time of the optimisation process itself, after the database has been obtained, is relatively insignificant. Therefore, the CPU time was reduced with the use of the Harmonic Balance method as opposed to the Time Marching method. The novelty in this paper is twofold. Optimisation methods so far have used simple aerodynamic models employing direct “calls” to the aerodynamic models within the optimisation loops. Here, the optimisation has been decoupled from the CFD data allowing the use of higher fidelity CFD methods based on Navier-Stokes CFD. This allows a more realistic approach for more complex geometries such as the BERP tip. In addition, the Harmonic Balance method has been used in the optimisation process.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Allen, C.B., Rendall, T.C.S., Morris, A.M.: CFD-based twist optimization of hovering rotors. J. Aircr. 47(6), 2075–2085 (2010)
Barakos, G.N., Steijl, R.: Computational study of helicopter rotor-fuselage aerodynamic interactions. AIAA J. 47(9), (2009)
Brocklehurst, A., Steijl, R., Barakos, G.: CFD for tail rotor design and evaluation. In: Proceedings of the 34th European Rotorcraft Forum, Liverpool, UK, Sept 2008
Brocklehurst, A., Duque, E.P.N.: Experimental and numerical study of the british experimental rotor programe blade. In: AIAA 8th Applied Aerodynamics Conference, vol. AIAA-90-3008, Portland, Oregon, USA, Aug 1990
Carrese, R., Winarto, H., Li, X.: Integrating user-preference swarm algorithm and surrogate modeling for airfoil design. In: 49th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition, vol. AIAA-244265-371, Orlando Florida, Jan 2011
Celi, R.: Recent applications of design optimization to rotorcraft—a survey. In: 55th Annual Forum of the American Helicopter Society (1999)
Daskilewicz, M.J., German, B.J.: Observations on the topology of pareto frontiers with implications for design decision making. In 50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition, vol. AIAA 2012–0148, Nashville, Tennessee, USA, Jan 2012
Dulikravich, G.S., Martin, T.J., Dennis, B.H., Foster, N.F.: Multidisciplinary hybrid constrained ga optimization. In: EUROGEN’99—Evolutionary Algorithms in Engineering and Computer Science: Recent Advances and Industrial Applications, May 1999
Glaz, B., Friedmann, P.P., Liu, L.: Surrogate based optimization of helicopter rotor blades for vibration reduction in forward flight. Struct. Multi. Optimisation J. 35, 341–363 (2007)
Glaz, B., Goel, T., Liu, L., Friedmann, P., Haftka, R.: Multiple-surrogate apporach to helicopter rotor blade vibration reduction. AIAA J. 47(1), 271–282 (2009)
Hajela, P.: Nongradient methods in multidisciplinary design optimization-status and potential. J. Aircr. 36(1), 255–265 (1999)
Hall, K.C., Hall, S.R.: A variational method for computing the optimal aerodynamic performance of conventional and compound helicopters. J. Am. Helicopter Soc. 55(4), (2010)
Hall, K.C., Thomas, J.P., Clark, W.S.: Computation of unsteady nonlinear flows in cascades using a harmonic balance technique. AIAA J. 40(5), 879–886 (2002)
Harrison, R., Stacey, S., Hansford, B.: BERP IV the design, development and testing of an advanced rotor blade. In: American Helicopter Society 64th Annual Forum, Montréal, Canada, April/May 2008
Imiela, M.: High-fidelity optimization framework for helicopter rotors. In: 35th European Rotorcraft Forum. (2009)
Jang, J.-S., Choi, S., Kwon, H., Im, D.-K., Lee, D.-J., Kwon, J.-H.: A preliminary study of open rotor design using a harmonic balance method. In: 50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition, vol. AIAA 2012–1042, Nashville, Tenessee, USA, Jan 2012
Johnson, C.S., Barakos, G.N.: Development of a framework for optimising aspects of rotor blades. In: American Helicopter Society 66th Forum, Phoenix, Arizona, USA, May 2010
Johnson, C.S., Woodgate, M., Barakos, G.N.: Optimisation of aspects of rotor blades in forward flight. Int. J. Eng. Syst. Model. Simul. 4(1/2), 79–93 (2012)
Liu, J., Han, Z., Song, W.: Efficient kriging-based aerodynamic design of transonic airfoils: Some key issues. In: 50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition, vol. 2012–0967, Nashville, Tennessee, USA, Jan 2012
Mengistu, T., Ghaly, W.: Aerodynamic optimization of turbomachinery blades using evolutionary methods and ANN-based surrogate models. J. Optim. Eng. 9, 239–255 (2008)
Peter, J., Marcelet, M.: Comparison of surrogate models for turbomachinery design. WSEAS Trans. Fluid Mech. 3(1), (2008)
Poloni, C., Giurgevich, A., Onesti, L., Pediroda, V.: Hybridization of a multi-objective genetic algorithm, a neural network and a classical optimizer for a complex design problem in fluid dynamics. Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng. 186, 403–420 (2000)
Régnier, J., Sareni, B., Roboam, X.: System optimization by multi-objective genetic algorithms and analysis of the coupling between variables, constraints and objectives. Int. J. Comput. Math. Electr. Electron. Eng. 24(3), 805–820 (2005)
Robinson, K., Brocklehurst, A.: BERP IV-aerodynamics, performance and flight envelope. In: 34th European Rotorcraft Forum, Liverpool, UK, Sept 2008
Samad, A., Kim, K.-Y.: Shape optimization of an axial compressor blade by multiobjective genetic algorithm. Proc. IMechE Part A. J. Aerosp. Eng. 222, 599–611 (2008)
Sobieszczanski-Sobieski, J., Haftka, R.T.: Multidisciplinary aerospace design optimization: Survey of recent developments. Struct. Optim. 14, 1–23 (1997)
Spentzos, A., Barakos, G., Badcock, K., Richards, B.: Modelling 3-dimensional dynamic stall of helicopter blades using computational fluid dynamics and neural networks. Proc. IMechE Part G. J. Aerosp. Eng. 220, 605–618 (2006)
Srinivasan, G.R.: A free-wake Euler and Navier-Stokes CFD method and its application to helicopter rotors including dynamic stall. JAI Associates Inc., Science and Engineering Consultants, Technical Report 93–01 (AD-A278 000), April 1994
Steijl, R., Barakos, G., Badcock, K.: A framework for CFD analysis of helicopter rotors in hover and forward flight. Int. J. Numer. Methods Fluids 51, 819–847 (2006)
Steijl, R., Barakos, G.N.: CFD analysis of complete helicopter configurations—lessons learnt from the goahead project. Aerosp. Sci. Technol. 19, 58–71 (2012)
Tan, K.C., Lee, T.H., Khor, E.F.: Evolutionary algorithms for multi-objective optimization: performance assessments and comparisons. J. Artif. Intell. 19, 253–290 (2002)
Watanabe, T., Matsushima, K., Nakahashi, K.: Aerodynamic shape optimization of a near-sonic passenger plane using computational fluid dynamics. Proc. IMechE Part G. J. Aerosp. Eng. 222, 1025–1035 (2008)
Woodgate, M., Barakos, G.N.: Implicit cfd methods for fast analysis of rotor flows. AIAA J. 50(6), 1217–1244 (2012)
Woodgate, M..A., Badcock, K.J.: Implicit harmonic balance solver for transonic flow with forced motions. AIAA J. 47(4), 893–901 (2009)
Xiong, Liu, Yan, Chen, Zhiquan, Ye: Optimization model for rotor blades of horizontal axis wind turbines. Front. Mech. Eng. China 2(4), 483–488 (1997)
Zhao, H., Wang, S., Han, W., Feng, G.: Aerodynamic design by jointly applying s2 flow surface calculations and modern optimization methods on multistage axial turbines. Front. Energy Power Eng. China J. 2(1), 93–98 (2008)
Acknowledgments
Catherine Johnson is sponsored by the ORSAS award from the University of Liverpool.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this paper
Cite this paper
Johnson, C., Woodgate, M., Barakos, G.N. (2016). Optimising Aspects of BERP-Like Rotors Using Frequency-Domain Methods. In: Braza, M., Bottaro, A., Thompson, M. (eds) Advances in Fluid-Structure Interaction. Notes on Numerical Fluid Mechanics and Multidisciplinary Design, vol 133. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27386-0_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27386-0_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-27384-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-27386-0
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)