HUSH (Hybrid Unsteady Simulation of Helicopters) is a computational framework developed to predict and analyze the rotor-wake aerodynamics, the blade structural dynamics, the rotor performance, and the resulting aeroacoustics of rotorcrafts operating over a range of flight conditions. The key to this approach is the coupled simulation of a high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics model, e.g., an unsteady RANS solver, with a comprehensive blade structural dynamics model to accurately simulate the aerodynamic environment in which the rotor blades operate. The coupled numerical model is solved iteratively along with an appropriate vehicle trim algorithm until a converged solution for the desired flight condition is obtained. The data exchange between the domain-specific solvers is facilitated using a Python-based library which provides the flexibility of coupling different computational codes using a standard set of interfaces with minimal modifications to the participating codes. The framework has been used to successfully analyze various rotor configurations, including traditional articulated and hingeless rotors (UH-60A, HART-II, model DNW rotor, etc.). More recently, the framework was used in the analysis of more exotic configurations such as bearingless rotors (MDART) and rotors with trailing edge flaps (SMART). The results from the simulations have been extensively validated with measurements from the UH-60A Airloads Program, the HART II test program, and the full-scale wind tunnel experiments of the MDART rotor.
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