Coning Angle in Forward Flight

Because the blades of a helicopter rotor are hinged near the root with a flap hinge, the blades are free to flap up or down. The lift forces will tend to flap the blades up, while the centrifugal forces will tend to push the blades down. A static equilibrium is achieved in hover, where the blades come to rest at an equilibrium coning angle, called 0. In forward flight, the airloads tend to var in a sinusoidal form, and a static equilibrium is not feasible. !ather, the blades undergo a limit c cle oscillation of the form"
( t ) = 0 + $s sin ( t ) + $c cos( t ) + # s sin ( #t ) + # c cos( #t ) + ... = 0 + $s sin ( ) + $c cos( ) + # s sin ( # ) + # c cos( # ) + ...

In this section, we will e%tend the derivation for the coning angle previousl limited to blades in hover, to blades in forward flight. &or simplicit , we will assume that the hinge point is at the origin, r'0.
d( r 0 d)entrifugal &orce

)onsider a small strip of the blade of width dr, at a distance r from the hinge point as shown in the picture above. This strip is sub*ected to lift force d(, the centrifugal force d)&, and an inretial force that resists the blade motion. It is also sub*ected to a drag force d+, perpendicular to the plane of the paper. This drag force onl affects the lead,lag motion of the blade, and does not influence the flapping motion. &rom blade element theor , the lift force d( ' -oment arm ' r cos0 . r )ountercloc/wise moment due to lift ' Integrating over all such strips,
r =R

$ $ c ( r ) # + v # C l dr c( r ) # C l dr # #

$ c( r ) # rC l dr #

Total countercloc/wise moment '

$ c( r ) # rC l dr # r =0

0e%t, the centrifugal force acting on this strip '

( r ) # dm = # rdm
r

1here dm is the mass of this strip. This force acts hori2ontall . The moment arm ' r sin0 . r 0
# # Thus, cloc/wise moment due to centrifugal forces ' r 0 dm r =R

Integrating over all such strips, total cloc/wise moment '

r =0

r
#

0 dm I# 0

where I is the moment of inertia of the blade about the hinge point. &inall , in forward flight, the blades tend to flap up and down and do not necessaril sta fi%ed in space. Inertial forces are generated resisting the flap motion. These forces generate a moment about the hinge. As before, consider a strip of the blade with a mass equal to dm. If the blade has , this element will have a linear acceleration r . The an angular acceleration dm . This force will act accompan ing inertial force 3opposing the blade motion4 is r downwards if the blade is flapping up with a countercloc/wise angular acceleration that increases the upward directed 3cloc/wise4 angular velocit . The accompan ing cloc/wise dm. Integrating over all such elements, we get the total moment for this element is r # cloc/wise moment attributable to inertial effects as
r =R r =0

dm = I

At equilibrium coning angle position, the cloc/wise moments must counteract the countercloc/wise moments. Thus,
+ I# ' I 0
r =R

$ c( r ) # rC l dr # r =0

3$4 0otice that the first term on the left hand side of 3$4 is the onl new term compared to our previous derivation, and accounts for inertial effects in forward flight. The homogeneous part on the left,hand side loo/s li/e a spring,mass s stem of the form
+ kx = 0 m x
3#4

It ma be shown that the natural frequenc of the spring mass s stem is

k . In our m

case in equation 3$4, the spring constant /' I # and the mass m ' I. Thus, the natural frequenc of the blade in flapping is *ust . That is, the blade will have a natural tendenc to flap up and down e%actl once per revolution. The right hand side of equation 3$4 is called the forcing function and will contain a stead part, a first harmonic3i.e. terms containing sint or cost , as well as second and

higher harmonic terms. The first harmonic terms will e%cite the s stem at its natural frequenc of . To avoid ver large flapping motions that ma result when the blade is e%cited at its natural frequenc , a small amount of ph sical damping is added to the s stem. This is in addition to the aerod namic damping 3i.e. aerod namic resistive forces that are proportional to d5dt4 that are inherentl present in the s stem. 6ow does the blade d namics behave when there is a forcing function component on the right hand side of the form Asin t, and a damping term on the left hand side of 7 To find out let us solve the equation" form c
+ c + I# = A sin I t
384

To solve this equation, we will assume a solution of form"

= B sin t + C cos t

9lugging in the assumed solution into equation 384, we get"

cB cos t cCsin t = A sin t

which has the solution B'0 and ) ' ,A5c . Thus the blade will under a motion A A = cos t = sin t # c c when sub*ected to a force of Asint.

In other words, the blade response will be proportional to the amplitude A of the resonance force, but will lag the force b :0 degrees.