Structural design and simulation of inflatable rotor blades for a rotary-wing flying mount

Blade element theory of helicopter in vertical flight was used to structurally design inflatable rotor blades for a rotary-wing flying mount. A 3D finite element model of the inflatable airfoil was developed and used to calculate the generated aerodynamic forces during hover. Then, the generating load was applied to the surface of the wing for nonlinear static analysis in order to determine the deformation. The fact that the lift generated was greater than the takeoff weight showed that the model was reasonable. Appropriate airfoil stiffness was achieved after selecting a suitable material. Further, the inflatable wing was thin enough to be folded to verify the rationality of the design.