Rotor Technologies Laboratory

Purpose of the Laboratory

The purpose of the Rotor Technologies Laboratory can be explained as conducting experimental and theoretical studies aimed at performance enhancement and design improvement on rotary-wing aircraft and rotary-wing system blades through next-generation structural applications and smart material applications.

Rationale for Establishing the Laboratory

The laboratory was established within the scope of the R&D Project titled “Numerical and Experimental Studies for the Reduction of Unwanted Vibrations and/or Efficiency Increase in Helicopter Blades,” which operates under the Rotary Wing Technology Center of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ-DKTM) and is supported by the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM), led by Asst. Prof. Dr. Özge Özdemir. Its goals are to conduct relevant research and necessary experiments for vibration reduction and/or performance enhancement in blades actively controlled by smart materials, to train researchers with sufficient knowledge in the structural and aerodynamic analysis of helicopter rotor systems, and to build the workforce required for these high-technology areas. However, the reasons for establishing the Rotor Technologies Laboratory are not limited solely to smart materials and active control.

Mission of the Laboratory

The Rotor Technologies Laboratory (RTL) has the mission of reducing vibration or increasing performance on scaled helicopter main/tail rotor blades, developing next-generation blade designs, and introducing innovative technologies in the main rotor, tail rotor, and the sub-systems supporting these rotors. Conventional rotor systems, innovative rotor systems featuring actively controlled/shape-morphing blades through the use of smart materials, rotor systems with next-generation blades incorporating different geometric applications (such as functionally graded material usage, taper ratio implementations, variation of cross-sections along the blade axis, etc.), main/tail rotors, the sub-systems supporting these rotors, and the integration of these sub-systems with electric/hybrid systems are all within the scope of the Rotor Technologies Laboratory's fields of study.

Research and Application Areas

The studies and experiments conducted within the Rotor Technologies Laboratory (RTL) encompass executing design studies on rotary-wing aircraft and rotary-wing system blades, smart material and composite material applications, and studies directed toward blade performance enhancement.

Facilities

Name (Brand-Model)	Intended Use	Justification for Purchase
Basic Workshop Equipment	Used for simple manufacturing, assembly/disassembly, and measurement operations.	To carry out the assembly of machines and equipment located in the laboratory.
AC Motor, Motor Driver, and Encoder	Used to obtain controlled rotational movement.	Utilized as the movement source for the blade test stand.
RC 700 Helicopter Blades (6 pieces)	Used for calibrating the blade test stand.	Acquired to perform the initial calibration of the blade test stand in the laboratory.
Torque Sensor, Thrust Sensor, and Amplifiers (2 pieces)	Used to measure torque and thrust values and to render these values observable.	Acquired to measure the thrust and torque values generated by the test blades.
Secure Test Chamber	Used to establish a safe test area during operations within rotor test systems.	Custom manufactured to house the laboratory's blade test stand and to prevent hazardous situations that may arise.
Blade Test Stand	Utilized to experimentally acquire the performance data of rotor blades in a hover condition.	Custom manufactured to obtain thrust and torque data generated by helicopter blades in a hover state.
Slipring (20 channels, gold-to-gold)	Used for electrical transmission across rotating systems.	Utilized for electrical transmission between the rotating and stationary equipment of the test stand.
PCI Card, BNC Connector Block, and SHC Cable	Used to acquire data from test systems and process this data.	Utilized to collect and process data coming from the torque and thrust sensors on the stand.
APA 200M Piezoelectric Actuator (2 pieces) and Piezoelectric Driver	The Piezoelectric Actuator is used to obtain linear movement at high frequencies. The Piezoelectric Driver is used to control the movements of the Piezoelectric Actuators.	Piezoelectric Actuators are utilized to provide rotational movement to the flaps on the blades. The Piezoelectric Driver is utilized to control the flap movements on the blade.
Composite Manufacturing Equipment	Used in the production of composite materials.	Will be used for the manufacturing of carbon fiber blades.
Prusa i3 MK3S 3D Printer	Used for the fabrication of 3D complex geometric models.	Will be used for the manufacturing of certain parts for the test stand and its blades.
Rigol DS1054Z Digital Oscilloscope and DG812 Signal Generator	The Oscilloscope is used to measure electrical values such as voltage, frequency, and current. The Signal Generator is used to produce electrical excitations in square, triangular, or sine wave forms.	The Oscilloscope will be used to measure the signal to be sent to the piezoelectric material. The Signal Generator will be used during testing to generate the signal that activates the piezoelectric material.
Computer Systems	Used for modeling and simulation of experimental applications prior to testing, as well as for receiving and processing data from the experimental setup.	Utilized for modeling and simulation of experimental applications to be conducted in the laboratory. It is also used for collecting and processing data acquired from the test setup.
Rotary Encoder	Used to measure the positional change of a rotating shaft.	Will be used to measure the angular variations of the flaps located on the blades.

Experiments Conducted

Performance tests on next-generation helicopter blades and rotary-wing systems; design and applications of smart control systems using piezoelectric materials.

Completed Projects

Development of an Aeroelastic Analysis Code for Helicopter Blades with Active Flap and Active Twist Control, Research Project	R&D Project	TUSAŞ Rotary Wing Technology Center and Undersecretariat for Defence Industries	2015-2016
Conducting Numerical and Experimental Studies for the Reduction of Unwanted Vibrations/Performance Enhancement in Helicopter Blades via Innovative Technological Approaches	R&D Project	TUSAŞ and Undersecretariat for Defence Industries	2017-2019

Ongoing Projects and Contribution to Education

BAP (Scientific Research Projects)
It is intended to provide support in design, analysis, manufacturing, and experimental activities related to thesis topics for Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral studies conducted within the scope of the Rotor Technologies Laboratory's research fields. Through this opportunity, it is planned to train resources of researchers/engineers possessing specialized knowledge in the aforementioned fields.

Researcher Information

Faculty Member in Charge: Asst. Prof. Dr. Özge Özdemir
Technician: Murat Tarhan
Graduate Students:
Merve Şahin, PhD Student, ITU Aerospace Engineering Graduate Program
Hüseyin Ural, Research Assistant, PhD Student, ITU Aerospace Engineering Graduate Program