Automatic Tip Vortex Core Profiling for Numerical Flow Simulations of Rotorcraft in Hover

An automated approach is presented that extracts visual and quantitative data from vortex cores produced by Navier-Stokes simulations of rotorcraft in hover mode. This approach extracts contiguous rotor tip vortex-core trajectories, cross-flow velocity profiles, and vortex-core diameter variation with wake age (azimuth angle). This automated approach is faster and more accurate than a conventional manual approach. Moreover, this new approach allows for an efficient way to quantitatively compare vortex-core profiles from different flow simulations, e.g., grid resolution studies, and validate computed results with experimental data