Impact Of Helicopter Vertical Fin On Tail Rotor Performance In Hover

摘要

It is well known that the tail rotor wake affecting the helicopter vertical fin in hover results in a force applied to the fin but opposite in direction to the tail rotor thrust. The results of the experiments on that problem are known too, Ref. 1. However, the opposite effect, i.e. the impact of the fin located within the tail rotor wake in hover on the tail rotor performance appears not to have been studied yet. The paper analyses the results of tests obtained on the tail rotor operating both separately and in presence of the fin. The impact of the fin on the performance of the tail rotor operating both as a tractor and a pusher is found out. It has been revealed that the fin located within the tail rotor wake exerts some positive influence on the rotor performance. This conclusion is different from a short remark made in Ref. 1 with respect to the pusher tail rotor that its efficiency loss is experienced due to. blockage of the airflow in front of the rotor.