Design and constructioin of a setup that represents the behavior of a helicopter rotor blade system

A non-rotating experimental setup has been developed to investigate the dynamic behaviour of articulated rotor systems, such as used in helicopters. The objective is to use the test setup to identify changes in the dynamic response of the rotor blades as a result of damage. The rotational motion is not included to reduce the complexity and eliminate all (safety) constraints related to high speed rotating set-ups. Yet, the important motions of the blade, the flapping, twisting and lagging, are included. A structured design procedure was followed to ensure all demands on the design were satisfied. The resulting prototype proved to work satisfactory in some aspects, but also needs to be improved on a number of points. In particular the play in the flexible elements is a matter of concern. Also, the actuation of the cyclic pitch motion must be improved.