RESEARCH PAPER
Influence of rotor blade rotational speed on the spectrum and emission level of noise in the rotating system of the dual-use small Wabik helicopter
1
Faculty of Mechatronics, Armament and Aerospace, Military University of Technology, ul. Gen. Sylwestra Kaliskiego 2, 00-908 Warsaw, Poland, Poland
2
Faculty of Engineering, University of Technology and Economics H. Chodkowska in Warsaw, Poland
These authors had equal contribution to this work
A – Conceptualization; B – Methodology; C – Software; D – Validation; E – Formal analysis; F – Investigation; G – Resources; H – Data curation; I – Writing – original draft; J – Writing – review & editing; K – Visualization; L – Supervision; M – Project administration; N – Funding acquisition
Submission date: 2026-03-11
Final revision date: 2026-05-31
Acceptance date: 2026-07-11
Online publication date: 2026-08-24
Corresponding author
Piotr Wróblewski
Faculty of Mechatronics, Armament and Aerospace, Military University of Technology, ul. Gen. Sylwestra Kaliskiego 2, 00-908 Warsaw, Poland, Poland
Faculty of Mechatronics, Armament and Aerospace, Military University of Technology, ul. Gen. Sylwestra Kaliskiego 2, 00-908 Warsaw, Poland, Poland
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The article analyzes how the rotational speed of the Wabik helicopter rotor affects both the overall noise level and its spectral characteristics. Measurements were performed in one third octave bands for two configurations: the rotor hub alone and the complete rotor system with blades installed. This allowed clear separation of the hub noise from the aerodynamic noise generated by the blades and showed how both components depend on rotational speed. The results confirm that rotor speed strongly influences total noise emission and the spectral structure of the emitted sound, while at higher speeds the blades become a major noise source under piston engine operating conditions. The findings provide a basis for improving blade geometry, selecting optimal engine and rotor operating ranges, and reducing noise in the most critical frequency bands. The novelty of the work is the detailed one third octave analysis of a prototype custom designed Wabik rotor system at three rotational speeds.
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| eISSN: | 2956-3860 |
| ISSN: | 1507-2711 |
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