Abstract
The so-called solid-state (mechanism-free) rotor concept can be applied to various rotary systems such as rotorcraft and wind turbines, to name a few. In this paper, the theoretical aerodynamic performance of a variable camber piezocomposite rotor is analyzed and presented. Two aerodynamic parameters, namely, the blade pitch angle, and the blade camber are analyzed. Coefficients of thrust and torque are taken into consideration as performance metrics. Two types of modeling are used to quantify the theoretical performance of the variable camber rotor: an analytical model, and an XROTOR model. The analytical model for prediction of coefficients of thrust and torque is based on the blade element momentum theory. For the XROTOR model, the rotor performance parameters are identified by for the use of simulations for a range of rotational speeds. Benchtop experiments are used to identify the parameters for the theoretical models.