A Case Study of a Methodological Approach to the Verification of UAV Propeller Performance

Abstract

Understanding the behaviour of propeller-driven aircraft has been the primary goal of aviation since the brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright. Traction characteristics, which have over time become dominant in the field of aviation in addition to thrust, both examined and analysed, nevertheless represent a sort of oxymoron in modern aviation. In this sense, the authors of the paper present the possibilities of static performance characteristics and vibrations of aircraft propellers through the analysis of low-powered aircraft. The use of low-powered aircraft as “expendable” material is the reality we live in, but ensuring the safety of their use is the primary goal of the researchers who deal with this issue. Accordingly, the authors of this paper present indications of the methodology of testing the blades of low-power aircraft in the atmosphere with an observation that the same indications can be used with aircraft of higher power, as well as with the aircraft on celestial bodies that have not been tested or available. A test bench for the quantification of thrust, torque, and vibration of small unmanned aerial vehicles’ (UAV) vehicle propellers is presented. The obtained results realistically describe the complex behaviour of propellers in operation.