Method and System for Inverse-Tapered High-Speed Rotors

A method of manufacturing a rotor blade for a rotary aircraft, the method comprising:

• establishing a target thrust-weighted solidity of the rotor blade;
• calculating a reverse flow circle of the rotor blade at a target forward speed of the rotary aircraft;
• and
• wherein, inboard of the reverse flow circle of the rotor blade, the chord of the rotor blade is less than a chord of a rectangular baseline rotor blade possessing the target thrust-weighted solidity;
• wherein, outboard of the reverse flow circle, the chord of the rotor blade is greater than the chord of the rectangular baseline rotor blade;
• wherein the rotor blade possesses the target thrust-weighted solidity of the baseline rotor blade and improved stall margin or speed margin at the target forward speed relative to the baseline rotor blade;
• and
• manufacturing the rotor blade with the chord inboard of the reverse flow circle and the chord outboard of the reverse flow circle.