Horizontal Stabilizer

There are basically three types of horizontal

stabilizer design:
Forward mounted stabilizer

(Low) Aft mounted stabilizer

T-tail design

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 101

 Forward mounted stabilizer
Avoids the sudden change in download caused
by the wake impingement remaining totally
submerged in the wake (at least until very high
forward velocities).

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 102

 Forward mounted stabilizer
Since the are closer to the CG:
Arm is smaller
The aerodynamic force must be higher
Higher area
Higher structural weight
The download during hover represents a
significant performance penalty

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 103

 Forward mounted stabilizer

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 104

 Aft mounted stabilizer
Higher arm therefore lower surface area
On a low mounted stabilizer
All the loads are carried directly into the tail boom
Ground clearance can be an issue
Unsteady separated flow from the upper fuselage and
rotor hub can reduce its efficiency.

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 105

 Aft mounted stabilizer
Transition from hover to forward flight can have
a positive pitch (nose up) attitude

Transition to
forward flight

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 106

 Aft mounted stabilizer
Transition from forward flight to hover can have a
negative pitch (nose down) attitude

Transition from
forward flight

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 107

 Aft mounted stabilizer

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 108

 Aft mounted stabilizer

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 109

 T-tail design
As in the aft mounted stabilizer it is positioned as
far way from the CG as possible.
Lower surface area
Less weight
The stabilizer is outside the rotor wake for most
of the helicopter operations
Vertical fin must carry all the loads meaning
higher overall weight
Twisting moments may limit the surface area
Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 110
 T-tail design

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 111

 Stabilator
A stabilator is a stabilizer that has a variable
incidence capability.
It can solve the low-speed problems associated
with fixed stabilizer
The stabilator incidence is automatically based
on airspeed and other measurements.
Manual override gives the pilot complete control
Structurally heavier

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 112

 Stabilator
In forward flight the stabilator will have a small
negative AOA producing a downward thrust to
counter the helicopter negative pitch attitude

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 113

 Stabilator
In hover the AOA will be much higher to prevent
the creation of a download

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 114

 Stabilator
In climb the AOA will be small to reduces the
downward thrust adding the climb.

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 115

 Stabilator
In autorotation the AOA will be a negative to
prevent an unwanted up thrust

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 116

 Stabilator

Stabilator position in forward flight

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 117
 Stabilator

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 118

 Fin
Purpose :
Provide stability in yaw
While the stability in yaw is provided by the tail
rotor, the vertical stabilizer can (at high forward
speeds):
Alleviate the rotor thrust therefore reducing the power
Reducing the tail rotor flapping cyclic loads
Replace the tail rotor in case of failure
Forms the structural mount of the tail rotor
Interferes with the tail rotor performance

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 119

 Fin
Top mounted fin is more efficient in flight since
the bottom mounted fin is inside the tail boom
wake

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 120

 Fin
In descent or autorotation the situation is
reversed

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 121

 Fin

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 122

 Tail Boom
The tail boom must provide structural support for
the:
Tail rotor
Fin
Tail plane
Other equipment
We have seen that the helicopter fuselage must
be streamlined to avoid high parasitic drag.

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 123

 Tail Boom
Tail boom as a smooth continuation of the
fuselage (also in width)

This type of boom will suffer a greater download

due to its wide dimensions

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 124

 Tail Boom
Sometimes is necessary to increase the slope
angle to accommodate a rear ramp:

These types of fuselage will have a higher drag

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 125

 Tail Boom
To decrease the download in hover but at the
same time keep the tail boom strength a
rectangular type of boom is used:

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 126

 Tail Boom

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 127

 Tail Boom
The tail boom provides connection between two
masses:
Main rotor
Tail rotor

Each will experience different forces, some static

some alternating
This will introduce stresses in the tail boom

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 128

 Tail Boom

When starting whirling forces from

This
Theresistance
tail rotor will put
resist
thethis
the main rotor will rock the hull from
boomside under
movement
torsion
to side

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 129

 Tail Boom
If this torsional oscillation results from a flight
frequency, the resonant frequency will have to be
change.
Stiffening the tail boom
Opening a slot lengthwise and introducing damping
material

The same kind of attention must be given to

bending frequencies

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 130

 Tail Boom
Under the influence of the main rotor downwash
the boom can create a side force.
This side force could be beneficial:

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 131

 Tail Boom
But if the downwash has the wrong direction the effect
could be negative:

This force will be opposite to the tail rotor thrust and

therefore might cause lost of tail rotor authority
Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 132
 Tail Boom

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 133

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 134
 Tail Rotor
Main purpose:
Provide Anti-torque
Yaw Stability and directional control about the yaw
axis
The aerodynamics of the tail rotor provides
weathercock stability:
Nose-left movement on the helicopter
Tail rotor in effective climb-> less thrust
Nose-right movement on the helicopter
Tail rotor in effective descent-> more thrust
Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 135
 Tail Rotor
The tail rotor has to operate in a relatively
complex environment.
It must produce thrust with incoming flow from
every direction.
The most critical case is when the yaw movement
or side wind forces the tail rotor to operate in an
effective descent.
If the tail rotor enters the vortex ring state there is a
loss of authority or even a loss of control

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 136

 Tail Rotor
Also the tail rotor can operate in the turbulent
separated flow originated:
Main rotor hub.
Fuselage
Main rotor wake itself

The tail rotor is normally attached to the fin and

there will be a strong aerodynamic interaction
between the two

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 137

 Tail Rotor
For these reasons it is very difficult to design a
tail rotor that will meet all the requirements:
Aerodynamic
Control
Stability
Weight
Structural

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 138

 Tail Rotor
Physical size:

Tail rotor =1/6 Main rotor diameter

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 139
 Tail Rotor
The tail rotor consumes roughly 10% of the total
aircraft power.
This power is lost since if does result in any lift
production

The thrust must be equal to:

T l
Qr I zz TR TR

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 140

 Tail Rotor
The canted tail rotor does provide some lift
The allowable centre of gravity position is widen
Adverse coupling between yaw and pitch

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 141

 Tail Rotor
The tail rotor can be of two kinds:
Pusher- Tracker- Positioned
Positioned on the on the right side of
left side of the fin the fin

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 142

 Tail Rotor
Pusher type:
The flow is blown way from the fin
The inflow is distorted by the fin
Non uniform inflow
Higher induced power

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 143

 Tail Rotor
Tractor type
The fin is under the wake of the tail rotor
The fin creates a blockage (ground effect)
Increase the rotor thrust
Significant force on the fin
Force in the opposite direction to the anti-torque
requirements
The net effect is a decrease in thrust compared
with an isolated rotor

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 144

 Tail Rotor

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 145

 Tail Rotor
Position
The main purpose of the tail rotor is to provide an
anti-torque stability:

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 146

 Tail Rotor
Position
Seen from front end of the helicopter

The tail rotor must be at the same height as the main rotor
Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 147
 Tail Rotor
Position

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 148

 Tail Rotor
The power requirement depends on the disk
loading.
Large diameter means:
Less power required
Heavier design
Adverse effects of the helicopter CG position
For certifications it is necessary to sustain a 35kt
sideward velocity without entering the vortex
state
A high disk loading is necessary

Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 149

 Tail Rotor
Tail rotor normally have:
2 or 4 blades
The blades are positioned in a X rather than a 90
Less noise
There isnt a dominant blade passing frequency
Only collective pitch control
Build in twist to reduce induce power
Taper to make the inflow even across the blade
Its cheaper to produce metal blades without taper
Helicopters / Filipe Szolnoky Cunha Conceptual Helicopter Design Slide 150