Contributions of Particle Image Velocimetry to Helicopter Aerodynamics: A Review.

The advancement of flow measurement techniques continues to extend experimental boundaries and thus significantly contributes to improving our understanding of both basic and applied aerodynamics. This is particularly apparent in the case of particle image velocimetry (PIV), where its application has furthered the existing knowledge in several areas of helicopter rotor aerodynamics. The complex nature of helicopter rotor flows presents unique challenges to experimentalists, including transonic flow, concentrated vortices and dynamic stall.