The European Tilt Rotor-Status of

ERICA Design and Test Activities

Alessandro Stabellini NICETRIP Project Manager
Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011
 TILTROTOR RESEARCH IN EUROPE

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 Flight Control System
Level 1 Control Laws
Handling Qualities Rotor Hub Design
requirements background

NICETRIP
Low Speed
Proprotor Gearbox, Aerodynamic
Interconnecting Shaft, Interactions
Nacelle & Wing Actuators
Loads & Dynamics Rotor Dynamics,
Performance & Noise

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 ERICA DESIGN CONCEPT
Small Rotor Diameter

Tiltable Wing

Structural Continuity of Tilting Mechanism

TILT WING TILTROTOR

TOW 11 tons
Pax 19/22
Vmax cr 330 Kts

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 Novel Innovative Competitive Effective Tilt Rotor Integrated Project
(NICETRIP) Purpose

The NICETRIP Integrated Project is proposed as part of a continuing

European TILTROTOR programme aimed at the acquisition, validation
and integration of tiltrotor technology by the European Aerospace and
associated supplier industries

The main objectives are:

 to study the general architecture of the aircraft

 to integrate some of the critical components of a tilt
rotor aircraft on full-scale dedicated rigs
 to develop and test a full-span powered model
 to study the introduction of the T/R in the ATM

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP PURPOSE
GENERAL
ARCHITECTURE

DETAIL DESIGN OF THE

CRITICAL COMPONENTS

FULL SCALE TESTING

WIND TUNNEL
SCALED TESTS T/R IN ATM

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP CONSORTIUM
CONTRACT COORDINATOR VERTAIR B

HELICOPTER INDUSTRIES AGUSTAWESTLAND I-UK

EUROCOPTER F-D

INDUSTRIAL ORGANISATIONS CASTILLA , AERNNOVA , SENER E

PAULSTRA F
LLI , ZFL D
GALILEO AVIONICA , MECAER I
SECONDO MONA , SD , SICTA I
SAMTECH B

RESEARCH AND TEST CENTRES ONERA , DLR , NLR , CIRA F , D , NL , I

CTA , CENAERO , AVIATEST E , B , LATVIA

UNIVERSITIES POLIMI , UOL I , UK

LIEGE , WUT , STUTTGARD B , POLAND , D

SUB-CONTRACTORS DNW , TSAGI NL , RUSSIA

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

Tool validation
•Validation of flight mechanics tools
•Validation of CFD tools
•Validation of the aeroelastic tools
Blade Flapping Moment (1/rev amplitude) FLIGHTLAB: uniform inflow
300 FLIGHTLAB: 3 state inflow Hub loads (Non Rotating Frame) from balance -
FLIGHTLAB: 6 state inflow
200
FLIGHTLAB: finite state inflow 4/rev
CAMRAD
350
Nm

Wind tunnel blue blade

Wind tunnel red blade
100 Experimental
300
0 CAMRAD
0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Blade spanwise location (r/R)
Blade Flapping Moment (2/rev amplitude) 250
300

200 200

N
Nm

100
150
0
0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Blade spanwise location (r/R) 100
Blade Flapping Moment (4/rev amplitude)
60
50
40
Nm

0
20
H Y T
0
0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Blade spanwise location (r/R)

Blade flapping moment Pressure distribution on the wing Hub loads

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

Overall characteristics

•Weight estimate
•Aircraft performance
•General loads
•Handling qualities
•Noise
Maximum Speed sensitivity analysis
8000

7000 Design Gross Weight (VTO) @eta = 0.85,

escresc=0%
Maximum Gross Weight (STO) @eta = 0.85,
6000 escresc=0%
Design Gross Weight (VTO)@eta = 0.85, ISA
escresc=0%
Pressure altitude [m]

5000 Maximum Gross Weight (STO) @eta = 0.85,

escresc=0%
ISA+20°C
4000

3000

2000

Hub loads
1000

0
220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360
TAS [kts]

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

Aerodynamics
•Rotor blade and cuff optimisation
•Wing and tail plane airfoils optimisation
•Nacelle/wing fairings optimisation
•Fuselage/wing fairings optimisation

Hub loads

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

Dynamics
•Rotor aeroelasticity
•Drive train and engine stability
•Whirl flutter stability
•Vibratory level/comfort
Z

X Y

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

General architecture
•Aircraft general layout
•Systems integration
•Electronic mock up definition

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

Airframe
• Wing structural preliminary design
• Fuselage structural design

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

Power plant
• Nacelles structural design
• Drive system design

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

• Rotor hub design

Power plant
• Rotor blade design

Cross section at 390

mm Radius

Cross section at
650mm Radius

Cross section at 1573 mm

Radius

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

Hydraulics
• Hydraulic system requirements definition
• General architecture of the Hydraulic system
• Preliminary sizing of the hydraulic system components

Wing flaperon
actuator

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

Fuel system
•Fuel system requirements definition
•Fuel system layout and functional specification
•Fuel system components preliminary specification
•Fuel system design baseline

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

Whirl tower full scale test

• Assess the dynamic behaviour
• Functional tests for rotor and transmission
• Performance tests

Rotor
hub Gear Box
(PRGB)

Interface Gear
Box (SPGB)

Interconnecting
Shaft (ICS)

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

Drive system functional test

• Lubrication test
• Endurance and functional test in the Universal
Transmission Test Facility

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

Powered model wind tunnel test

• Powered model scale 1:5 design and
manufacturing
• Tests at DNW-LLF wind tunnel
• Tests at ONERA-S1MA

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

Force model wind tunnel test

• Modular model scale 1:8 design and manufacturing
• Tests completed at the wind tunnel of Politecnico di Milano

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

Air intake model wind tunnel test

• Air intake model scale 1:5 design and manufacturing
• Test completed at the wind tunnel of University of Liège
• Air intake model scale 1:2.5 design and manufacturing
• Preliminary test completed at the wind tunnel of POLIMI
• Final test at the wind tunnel of University of Liège

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011

 NICETRIP ACTIVITIES

Real time simulation

• Several Standalone Real Time Simulation sessions performed at partners’ site to
assess flyability of the procedures under investigation
• Distributed Real Time Simulation based connecting ATC simulation platform with
3 tilt-rotor simulators to evaluate the impact of tilt-rotor operations with
“conventional” traffic on a complex operational airport scenario (Milan Malpensa)
• Actors involved : Pilots, ATCOs, Pseudo-pilots, Technical experts

Madrid, 31 March 2011 Aerodays 2011