Purpose of the Laboratory
The purpose of the Rotor Technologies Laboratory can be explained as carrying out experimental and theoretical studies on new generation structural applications and smart material applications, performance enhancement and design improvement on rotary-wing aircraft and rotary-wing system blades.
The Reason for Establishing the Laboratory
Vibration in the blades, which are actively controlled with smart materials, within the scope of the R&D Project titled “Numerical and Experimental Studies for Reducing Undesirable Vibrations and/or Increasing Efficiency in Helicopter Blades”, which is supported by the Rotary Wing Technology Center (TUSAŞ-DKTM) and the Undersecretariat of Defense Industry (SSM), operating within the body of Turkish Aerospace Industry, and led by Dr. Özge Özdemir. It was established in order to carry out relevant researches to reduce and/or increase performance, to carry out necessary experiments, to train researchers with sufficient knowledge on structural and aerodynamic analyzes of helicopter rotor systems and to create the necessary manpower in these subjects with advanced technology. However, the reasons for the establishment of the Rotor Technologies Laboratory are not limited to smart materials and active control.
Mission of the Laboratory
Rotor Technologies Laboratory (RTL) has the mission of reducing vibration or increasing performance on scaled helicopter main/tail rotor blades, next generation blade designs, developing and applying innovative technologies in the main rotor and tail rotor and the subsystems supporting these rotors. Traditional rotor systems, innovative rotor systems with active controlled/deforming blades with the use of smart materials, rotor systems with new generation blades in which different geometric applications (use of axially graded material, giving a sharpening ratio, use of different sections along the blade axis, etc.) are added. , main/tail rotors and the subsystems supporting these rotors and supporting these subsystems with electric/hybrid systems,
Research and Application Areas
The studies and experiments carried out within the Rotor Technologies Laboratory (RTL) include design studies on rotary-wing aircraft and rotary-wing system blades, smart material and composite material applications, and studies on blade performance increase.
Facilities
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Name (Brand-Model)
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Purpose of usage
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Purpose of purchase
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Basic Workshop Equipment
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It is used for simple production, assembly/disassembly and measurement operations.
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To perform the assembly of machinery and equipment in the laboratory.
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AC Motor, Motor Driver and Encoder
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It is used to obtain a controlled rotation movement.
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It is used as the movement source of the pallet test stand.
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RC 700 Helicopter Blades (6 pcs)
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It is used to calibrate the pal test stand.
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It was taken to make the first calibration of the blade test stand in the laboratory.
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Torque Sensor, Thrust Sensor and Amplifiers (2 pcs)
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It is used to measure torque and thrust value and make this value observable.
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It was taken to measure the thrust and torque values produced by the test blades.
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Safe Test Room
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It is used to create a safe test area during testing in rotor test systems.
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It is produced to place the pal test stand in the laboratory and to prevent dangerous situations that may occur.
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Pal Test Stand
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It is used to experimentally obtain performance data of rotor blades in suspension.
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It was produced in order to obtain thrust and torque data produced by helicopter blades in blade state.
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Slipring (20 kanal gold to gold)
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It is used for electrical transmission on systems in rotation.
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It is used to transmit electricity between the rotating equipment of the test stand and the stationary equipment.
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PCI Card, BNC Con.Block and SHC Cable
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It is used to receive data from test systems and process this data.
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It was used to collect and process data from torque and thrust sensors located on the stand.
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APA 200M Piezoelectric Actuator (2 pcs) and Piezoelectric Driver
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Piezoelectric Actuator is used to achieve linear motion at high frequency.Piezoelectric Driver is used to control the movements of Piezoelectric Actuators.
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Piezoelectric Actuators were used to provide rotational motion to the flaps on the blades.Piezoelectric Drive is used to control flap movements on the blade.
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Composite Production Equipment
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It is used in the production of composite materials.
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It will be used for the production of carbon fiber blades.
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Prusa i3 MK3S 3D Printer
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It is used for the production of 3D complex geometric models.
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It will be used for the manufacture of some parts of the test stand and blades.
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Rigol DS1054Z Digital Oscilloscope and DG812 Signal Generator
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The oscilloscope is used to measure electrical values such as voltage, frequency, current.The Signal Generator is used to generate electrical impulses in the form of square, triangle, sine waves.
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The oscilloscope will be used to measure the signal to be sent to the piezoelectric material.The signal generator will be used to generate the signal that will activate the piezoelectric material during the tests.
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Computer Systems
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It is used for modeling and simulation of experimental applications before the experiment, as well as for receiving and processing data from the experimental setup.
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It is used for modeling and simulation of experimental applications to be made in the laboratory.It is also used to collect and process data from the experimental setup.
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Rotary Encoder
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It is used to measure the change of position of a rotating shaft.
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It will be used to measure the angle changes of the flaps on the blades.
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Experiments
Performance tests on new generation helicopter blades and rotary wing systems, design and applications of intelligent control systems with piezoelectric materials.
Completed Projects
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Developing Aeroelastic Analysis Code for Active Flap and Active Torsion Controlled Helicopter Blades, Research Project
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R&D Project
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TAI Dönerkanat Technology Center and Undersecretariat of Defense Industry
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2015-2016
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Conducting Numerical and Experimental Studies for Reducing Undesirable Vibrations in Helicopter Blades / Increasing Efficiency with Innovative Technology Approaches
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R&D Project
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TAI and Undersecretariat of Defense Industry
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2017-2019
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Ongoing Projects and Contribution to Education
- BAP Projects
- It is aimed to provide support in the design, analysis, production and experimental activities related to the thesis subject in the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral thesis studies to be carried out on the topics that fall within the scope of the Rotor Technologies Laboratory study areas. By this means, it is planned to train researcher/engineer resources who have knowledge in these fields.
Researcher Information
Responsible Staff: Asst. Prof. Dr. Özge Özdemir
Technician: Murat Tarhan
Graduate Students:
Merve Şahin , PhD Student, ITU Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering Graduate Program
Hüseyin Ural , Research Assistant, PhD Student, ITU Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering Graduate Program