A Variable-Fidelity, Hierarchical Toolset for Integrated Electro-Optic/Infrared Plume And Signature Analysis Of Rotorcraft

ATA Engineering, Inc., in collaboration with IERUS Technologies, Inc., proposes to develop an integrated framework for rotorcraft signature prediction through a modular, variable-fidelity approach that combines a widely used EO/IR toolset and an unstructured CFD solver with native rotorcraft modeling capabilities. Specifically, the project team will integrate the NASA FUN3D unstructured CFD solver with the JANNAF Standard Plume Ultraviolet Radiation (SPURC) EO/IR signature modeling tool. FUN3D is used extensively for rotorcraft aeromechanics analysis and has undergone extensive validation for rotorcraft applications. SPURC is widely used in the EO/IR signature modeling community and is well validated for the prediction of UV-LWIR emissions from a low-altitude plume and thus ideally suited to rotorcraft applications. The Phase I effort will focus on developing an optimal integration approach, demonstrating the coupled CFD-EO/IR capability for rotorcraft signature prediction, and investigating modeling fidelity tradeoffs. The effort will establish a variable-fidelity approach where modeling of complex physics—such as aeroelastic blades and the inclusion of combustion byproducts—may be switched on and off in a hierarchical approach to understand their relative influence on the resulting signature. This approach also directly supports situations where advanced modeling parameters may not be known and lower-fidelity models are preferred.