VTOL Ducted Rotor Blade Tip Leakage Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vertical take-off and landing aircraft with ducted rotary wings face challenges in reducing tip leakage flow and tip vortex generation due to blade deformation at different rotation speeds, making it difficult to maintain a minimal clearance between the blade tip and the duct inner wall, thereby increasing induced drag and noise.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a ducted rotary wing with a curved inner wall surface that adapts to the blade's displacement at various rotation speeds, maintaining a consistent minimal clearance, and includes a configuration of inlets and outlets with flow paths to manage airflow and reduce tip leakage flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If the clearance between the blade tip and the duct inner wall is minimized to reduce tip leakage flow, then tip vortex generation is reduced, but the blade deforms at different rotation speeds making it difficult to maintain consistent minimal clearance
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is designed with flexible root portions that allow dynamic deformation according to rotation speed. The blade can bend inward at low rotation speeds and maintain minimal clearance at high rotation speeds, adapting its position to maintain optimal clearance consistency across different operating conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade's physical parameters (position and shape) are allowed to change with rotation speed. By permitting controlled deformation through flexible root design, the blade maintains minimal clearance at various rotation speeds, transforming the static clearance problem into a dynamic solution.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the blade is made rigid to maintain consistent clearance, then clearance stability is improved, but tip leakage flow and tip vortex generation increase due to inability to adapt to rotation speed variations
Solution Approach 1:
The blade incorporates flexible root portions that enable dynamic adaptation to rotation speed variations. This flexibility allows the blade to bend and maintain minimal clearance consistently across different operating conditions, preventing tip vortex generation while adapting to speed changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade's position parameters are designed to change with rotation speed through controlled flexibility. This allows the blade to maintain optimal clearance at all rotation speeds, eliminating tip leakage flow and tip vortex generation while preserving clearance stability.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If additional components are added to mitigate tip leakage flow and tip vortex, then harmful factors are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade itself serves the dual function of generating lift and maintaining minimal clearance through its flexible root design. The blade's inherent flexibility allows it to self-adjust to rotation speed variations, eliminating the need for separate clearance control mechanisms or additional components.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible root portions of the blade provide multi-functionality by simultaneously enabling clearance maintenance and adapting to rotation speed variations. This integrated design eliminates the need for separate components to address tip leakage flow and clearance consistency, reducing overall device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively reduces tip leakage flow and tip vortex generation across all rotation speeds, minimizing induced drag and noise, and eliminates the need for additional components to mitigate these issues.
Implementation Method 1
The trailing-edge flow path allows the tip inlet and the trailing-edge outlet to be in communication with each other
Implementation Method 2
the blade is displaced in a direction approaching an inner wall surface of the duct due to centrifugal force upon middle-speed rotation
Implementation Method 3
the blade is displaced upward due to lift upon high-speed rotation
Data Source
AI summary
A vertical take-off and landing aircraft includes a ducted rotary wing. The ducted rotary wing includes a duct and a rotary wing. The duct runs through a body from an upper surface to a lower surface thereof. The rotary wing is provided inside the duct and includes a hub and a blade configured to rotate about the hub. The blade includes a tip inlet, a trailing-edge outlet, and a trailing-edge flow path. The tip inlet is provided on a tip surface of the blade. The trailing-edge outlet is provided at a trailing edge that is an edge on a rear side in a rotation direction of the blade. The trailing-edge flow path allows the tip inlet and the trailing-edge outlet to be in communication with each other.