Humpback-Style Fin Bumps Said To Improve Stall Performance

Some large airplanes have had their profiles compared to whales, notably the original Boeing 747, and especially the Airbus Beluga. Now, German scientists are looking to the humpback whale for inspiration in the design of new helicopters.

But it's not the whale's body influencing the shape of the helicopter's fuselage. Instead, the bumps on the whale's large pectoral fins have inspired a similar treatment for the leading edges of rotor blades, intended to delay the onset of retreating blade stall at high speed.

Kai Richter, of the DLR Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology in Germany, tells Wall Street Daily the rubber bumps show promise, and can be installed without significant modifications. He says, "The pilots have already noticed a difference in the behavior of the rotor blades...the next step is a flight using special measuring equipment to accurately record the effects."

The researchers have patented the treatment, which they call "Leading-Edge Vortex Generators," or LEVoGs for short. There's no word on whether any manufacturers are interested.

FMI: www.dlr.de/as/en/desktopdefault.aspx