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Optimization of Low Reynolds Number Airfoils for Martian Rotor Applications Using an Evolutionary AlgorithmThe Mars Helicopter (MH) will be flying on the NASA Mars 2020 rover mission scheduled to launch in July of 2020. Research is being performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and NASA Ames Research Center to extend the current capabilities and develop the Mars Science Helicopter (MSH) as the next possible step for Martian rotorcraft. The low atmospheric density and the relatively small-scale rotors result in very low chord-based Reynolds number flows over the rotor airfoils. The low Reynolds number regime results in rapid performance degradation for conventional airfoils due to laminar separation without reattachment. Unconventional airfoil shapes with sharp leading edges are explored and optimized for aerodynamic performance at representative Reynolds-Mach combinations for a concept rotor. Sharp leading edges initiate immediate flow separation, and the occurrence of large-scale vortex shedding is found to contribute to the relative performance increase of the optimized airfoils, compared to conventional airfoil shapes. The oscillations are shown to occur independent from laminar-turbulent transition and therefore result in sustainable performance at lower Reynolds numbers. Comparisons are presented to conventional airfoil shapes and peak lift-to-drag ratio increases between 17% and 41% are observed for similar section lift.






Document ID
20200000324
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Koning, Witold J. (Science and Technology Corp. Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Romander, Ethan A. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Johnson, Wayne R. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
January 16, 2020
Publication Date
January 6, 2020
Subject Category
Aeronautics (General)
Report/Patent Number
ARC-E-DAA-TN76159
Meeting Information
Meeting: AIAA SciTech Forum
Location: Orlando, FL
Country: United States
Start Date: January 6, 2020
End Date: January 10, 2020
Sponsors: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNA16BD60C
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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