PREDICTION OF HELICOPTER CRITICAL FLIGHT REGIMEN BY CONTINUATION AND BIFURCATION METHODS

Continuation and bifurcation methods and algorithms for evaluation of flight dynamics for highly non-linear aircraft has tended to concentrate on rigid-body fixed-wing vehicle models. Rotorcraft are inherently very non-linear, whilst also requiring a greater complexity of mathematical modelling to capture the periodic inputs to the airframe from the rotors. This paper investigates the feasibility and benefits of applying bifurcation and continuation algorithms to the study of stability of highly nonlinear helicopter model. This methodology allows the overall behaviour indicated in bifurcation diagrams to be linked to helicopter dynamics with the future potential to contribute to control design.