Experimental development of helicopter rotors requires centrifugal testing before entry into a wind tunnel or flight test campaign. This centrifugal testing is performed on test rigs called whirl towers. These facilities are very rare, in fact there were none available in Canada at the time of writing this thesis, but they are very valuable experimental research tools.;This thesis describes the design and construction of a whirl tower facility for the centrifugal testing of scaled helicopter rotors with actively controlled systems for reducing vibration. First, the trade-offs between the desired capabilities for the facility to be designed are reviewed, leading to the identification of a set of design requirements. Following this, various concepts for the drive system, frame, data acquisition, and safety infrastructure are proposed. From these, a final design is assembled, whose main advantage is its flexibility and robustness for developmental research. The whirl tower is capable of testing single or multi-bladed rotors (up to four blades), with blades between 1.0 and 1.6 m radius, up to 1,800 RPM frequency with no 'dead zones'. The whirl tower is equipped with a 60 HP, 575 V, AC motor, with flexible coupling and direct drive to the scaled rotor hub. The facility also features a digital telemetry system, slip rings for power and signal transmission for active control, interchangeable rotor heads with variable root distance, and a containment wall for protection from possible rotor blade failures. The manufacturing and construction of the facility, as well as its installation at the National Research Council in Ottawa, is described in detail.
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