Uma Rede de Tecnologia e Qualidade

ISQFRIENDCOPTERIntegration of TechnologiesIn Support of PassengerAnd EnvironmentallyFriendly Helicopter

instituto de soldadura e qualidade

Aristides José Chaves(Engenheiro Mecânico)

Friendcopter – Facts

•Research and Technological Development Project

within the European Community Sixth Framework

Program;

•Consortium with 34 Affiliates, including helicopter

manufacturers, research institutions and universities;

•Duration 54 months – 01.03.2004 to 01.09.2008

•Project cost 32.49 M€

•Project funding 18.23 M€

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Friendcopter – Goals

•Acoustic footprint areas reduced between 30% and

50% depending on the flight condition;

•A reduction of fuel consumption by 6% in high speed

flight;

•Cabin noise levels below 75dBA, similar to airliner

cabins for normal cruise;

•Cabin vibrations below 0,05g corresponding to jet

smooth ride comfort, for the same flight regime area.

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Friendcopter – Measures

•Short term (actual contract);

Low noise flight procedures, quiet engine in/outlets,

quiet cabin, distributed blade actuation (lab and

model tests).

•Long term (to be addressed in the 7th FWP):

Development and test of a globally Quiet Engine

and of Active Blade Control by distributed blade

actuation.03 / 12

Friendcopter – Project Structure

WP1

Specifications

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WP2

Noise AbatementFlight Procedures

WP3

Engine NoiseReduction

WP4

Cabin NoiseReduction

WP5

Rotor NoiseControl

WP6

Exploitation

Coordinator/Management

Friendcopter – WP2 Exploitation Potential

•Low noise approach procedures of 3 common

helicopter types;

•Availability of SW Tool for helicopter designers, local

heliport and certifying authorities:

•Able to predict the noise signature of any

helicopter type for a given descent path;

•Capable to predict low noise approach

procedures of any helicopter type.

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Friendcopter – WP3 Exploitation Potential

•Quieter and more efficient helicopter engines:

•Noise reduction treatment at inlet and outlet;

•Lower inlet pressure losses.

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Friendcopter – WP4 Exploitation Potential

•Quieter cabin by:

•Quieter gear boxes;

•Better insulation against structure borne and

airborne noise transmission.

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Friendcopter – WP5 Exploitation Potential

•Technologies for Active Blade Control by distributed

actuation for noise and vibration reduction, blade

damping and power saving.

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A

A

Friendcopter – WP2: Noise Abatement Procedures

Objective:

To lay foundations for future noise limit regulations (prenormative research), by means of a common European methodology for minimization of neighborhood annoyance:

consolidated, representative, measurable annoyance criteria;

practical, repeatable, affordable, standardized flight testing techniques;

standardized data reduction and footprint production tools;

flight proven footprint minimization methods.

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Friendcopter – WP2: Noise Abatement Procedures

Organization of the tasks:

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T2.1

Quantified needsand objectives

T2.2

Prediction ofNoise reduction

T2.3

Flight Testing

T2.4

Test ResultAnalysis

T2.5

Conclusions andGuidelines

WP2 Coordination

Friendcopter – WP2: Noise Abatement Procedures

T2.3 Flight Testing Objectives:

To produce footprint data bases during different flight procedures and for different helicopters.

To establish an experimental methodology for measuring noise footprint and finding practical helicopter noise abatement.

To validate such abatement procedures for the helicopter types under consideration:

EC130: single engine, 3 bladed main rotor, fenestron tail rotor;

A109: twin engine, 4 bladed main rotor, conventional tail rotor;

EC135: twin engine, 4 bladed main rotor, fenestron tail rotor.

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Friendcopter – Summary

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Today's helicopters need to be improved further with

respect to environmental and public acceptance.

Helicopters generate external noise, cabin noise and

vibration due to the complex nature of their dynamic

systems and suffer from NOx emission; like other

transportation systems.

It is therefore very essential that the new generation

rotorcraft address these issues to improve the

situation, to make them environmentally friendly

and acceptable to the general public.

Uma Rede de Tecnologia e Qualidade

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