Coupled Ship Airwake and Rotor Airloads Simulation Methodology

Abstract

This paper gathers the experience gained in exploring the possible setups for a new computational method-ology to evaluate the aerodynamic field on ship decks. With respect to the legacy approach used in Leonar-do Helicopters Division, the new workflow tries to erode the conservativism limits assumed on the results by improving the accuracy of the outcomes. All steps of have been tailored to be as general as possible, in or-der to be automatable for industrial applications. The main impact of the improvement in aerodynamics will be presented through its effect on the rotor loads during start-up manoeuvers.