Optimal pitching schedules for a cycloidal rotor in hovering

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to define an optimal pitching profile for the blades of a cycloidal rotor which minimizes the mean power consumption for a given mean thrust of the rotor. Design/methodology/approach A simple analytical model of the kinematics and aerodynamics of a cycloidal rotor is defined first to obtain expressions for thrust and power depending on the pitching profile and geometrical parameters of the rotor. Then, Lagrange optimization is applied to obtain the optimal pitching schedule under hovering conditions. Finally, results of the theoretical analysis are compared with those of a two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. Findings Results of the optimization suggest that the optimal profile is a combination of sinusoidal functions. It is shown that the adoption of the optimal pitching schedule could improve the power efficiency of the rotor by approximately 25 per cent. Practical implications The possibility to increase the efficiency of a cycloidal rotor by acting on its pitching schedule could be a significant factor of success for this alternative propulsion concept. Originality/value The present work represents the first attempt at a definition of an optimal pitching profile for a cycloidal rotor. Moreover, although being carried out on the basis of simplified analytical considerations, the present investigation sets a methodological framework which could be successfully applied to the design of similar kinds of systems.