Aerodynamic Effect of Different Drone Blade Tip Shapes
摘要
With the increase in the use of drones in various industries, their mass use quickly spread and with it the need to increase their range and flight time. Although the improvement of these drones falls on various aspects of the UAV as a whole, their performance can be improved directly on its propulsion hardware, that is its rotors. Therefore, this work falls on the study of the aerodynamic effect of different drone blade tip shapes on the overall performance of the rotor. Firstly, 3-D models are made with different types of modifications, from linear and elliptical taper to different twist ratios. Once a mesh, volume, and time-step study are done using a high fidelity CFD program (STAR CCM + ), these rotors are simulated at 4000 RPM which, corresponding to their diameter, approximates to a Reynolds number of 47,000. Once the best rotors are chosen, they are 3-D printed and tested on a test stand to verify any trends discovered in the CFD study. In the end, any level of taper proved beneficial, with improvement between 3 and 5% for most cases.