Aerodynamic Interactions Study on Low-Re Coaxial and Quad-Rotor Configurations

Abstract

Unmanned multi-rotor VTOL vehicles have recently gained importance in various applications such as videography, surveillance, search and rescue etc. suited to their small size and relatively cheap construction. Small scale UAVs struggle in providing satisfactory performance in terms of payload, range, and endurance because of higher viscosity-dominated losses, and due to yet to be understood rotor-rotor and rotor-airframe aerodynamic interactions. Viscosity dominated rotational flow field makes most potential flow methods, such as free wake model, invalid. A full N-S based approach for this problem is too expensive. Thus, a multi-rotor aerodynamic interaction study is necessary for understanding crucial phenomena, which will help in developing physics-based models which will be instrumental in multi-rotor UAV performance prediction and design optimization. In present work, a flow visualization and a high-speed stereo Particle Image Velocimetry (SPIV) study is done on two low Reynolds number multi-rotor arrangements with the aim of capturing vortex-vortex, blade-vortex and vortex-duct interactions. The first arrangement is a coaxial rotor in forward flight and another is an in-plane quad-rotor with and without duct. Instantaneous and average PIV data is being presented here with some observations and corresponding interpretations.