Visualization for aerodynamic design of helicopter rotor blades

Visualization, animation, and simulation techniques are applied to the problem of rotor design for helicopters. Periodic unsteady experimental velocity data (laser Doppler velocimetry or LDV) in two dimensions and velocity data derived from simulated vortex systems in three dimensions are compared using the same visual tools. Animations show the development of rotor wake systems and induced velocities over time. Modified particle trace integration schemes are used to calculate steady streamlines and unsteady particle paths for both kinds of data. In an extension of this work, a virtual environment (VE) system was used to view the wake vortex system and an interactive probe was used to explore the induced velocity field. Future work will enable interactive visual debugging and simulation steering.