Helicopter Flight Dynamics

Chapter 3: Helicopter Motion Equations

Helicopter Motion Equations

Origin
For rigid body motion
: velocity of mass center

: angular velocity of rigid body

: angular momentum

1.
2.
3.

For the calculation, the equations can be written in scalar form. The left side
of the equations are aerodynamic force and gravity.
The right side of the equations is the inertial force (moment) caused by
(angular) acceleration.
In the force equation, the cross product of vectors is the centrifugal force. In
the moment equation, the the cross product of vectors is the gyro moment.

Helicopter Motion Equations

Longitudinal Motion

is the summation of aerodynamic forces along the x axis.

The three items in the right side are equivalent to ma. The first item comes
from the acceleration, while the last two items are the inertial accelerations
produced by the helicopter curve motions.

Helicopter Motion Equations

For the pitching motion, we have:

The lift side is the summation of aerodynamic moments. In the right side, the first
item is the inertial moment caused by angular acceleration, the second item is the
gyro moment, and the third item is effect of centripetal force.
Lateral/yaw Motion

Helicopter Motion Equations

The Relationship Between Angular Motions
The attitude angles are respect to gravity axes. While the angular velocities
are measured in body axes.
Y1
The relationship between angular velocities and
helicopter attitudes rates can be written as:

x tg cos y sin z

cos
sin
y
z
cos
cos
cos z sin y

The 6 equations of helicopter body and 3

angular motion equations consists of the
governing equations of helicopter flight
dynamics.

X1

ZD
Z1

Summation
1.
2.

The governing equations of helicopter flight dynamics are nonlinear.

The motions of helicopter due to the perturbation (variations of
velocities or external forces) and controls (applied by pilot) are called as
stability,and control. By using these equations we can analysis the
helicopter stability and control.

Stability Analysis

X f X , X ,t

X f X , X , U , t
3.
4.

Control Analysis

The aerodynamic forces on left side of the equations comes from the
contributions of main rotor, tail rotor, fuselage and empennage. They are
the functions of control and motion variants in the right side.
Especially,The controls, induced velocity and flapping motion are
implied in the items of main rotor and tail rotor aerodynamic forces.
Therefore, the governing equations are very complicated.

Helicopter Motion Equations

Linearization of Helicopter Flight Dynamic Equations
Motivations
1.
2.
3.

To simplify the analysis and calculation, change non-linear differential

equations into linear differential equations
To make sense the physical meanings
To analysis the effect of parameters on helicopter motions and guide
the design

Feasibility
For the start time of external perturbation, the variation of motion is small
with respect to the reference steady state condition (trim condition) and can
be treated as linear variation approximately.

Helicopter Motion Equations

Assumptions:
1.

Assuming small angles: attitude angles, attack angle, flapping angles

are all assumed small so that the cos()=1, sin()=0.

2.

Assuming small perturbations:

1) The variations of (angular) velocities are small relative to the
reference steady state value.
2) The variations of forces are small so that:

3. Neglecting the items of more than second order

Helicopter Motion Equations

Longitudinal Motion Equations in Hover

Lateral/yaw Motion Equations in Hover

1.
2.
3.

The right side of equations contains control derivatives. While the left side
contains the aerodynamic derivatives (stability and damping derivatives).
We can obtain the equations of studying helicopter stability by setting the right
side is equal to zero (no controls applied).
We can obtain the equations of studying helicopter response to given controls.