Theoretical modeling technology for gyroplane flight performance

To investigate the theoretical modeling technology of gyroplane flight performance, the modeling method of gyroplane total power required is studied in this paper based on the fundamental analysis method and trim analysis method. Then the gyroplane rotor disk angle of attack characteristics, lift and drag characteristics and angle of attack distribution characteristics of autorotating rotor blade section are investigated. The results indicate that both the fundamental analysis method and trim analysis method can calculate total power required and autorotating rotor disk angle of attack accurately. Both methods can be used to analyze the gyroplane flight performance. The total power required mainly comes from the autorotating rotor power at low speed, and the fuselage parasite power becomes the main source of the total power required at high speed. Increasing the collective pitch properly can increase the lift drag ratio of the autorotating rotor and the gyroplane. In the autorotating rotor design process, the optimization can be applied to the aerofoil spanwise distribution. The airfoil which has excellent stall characteristics can be used at the blade root preferentially to delay the maximum flight speed limit by stall. ©, 2014, AAAS Press of Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics. All right reserved.