Numerical simulations on the ERICA tiltrotor

This paper presents aerodynamic calculations of the model-scale ERICA tiltrotor with high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics. The aim of this work is to assess the capability of the present CFD method in predicting airloads on the tiltrotor at different flight configurations. In this regard, three representative flight configurations of the ERICA were selected, corresponding to aeroplane, transition corridor, and helicopter modes, covering most modes of tiltrotor flight. The rotor blades were fully resolved and the use of a uniform and non-uniform actuator disk was also put forward to quantify the effect of the rotor on the fuselage loads. A fundamental investigation of the effect of the aerodynamic interference between the rotor and wing of the tiltwing aircraft is also shown. The employed CFD method was able to capture the aerodynamics of the different configurations and the overall agreement obtained with the experimental data demonstrates the capability of the present CFD method in accurately predict tiltrotor flows.