Comparison of aerodynamic and aeroacoustic characteristics of fixed-pitch and variable-pitch rotors

Abstract

This research conducts a comparative analysis of the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic characteristics of fixed-pitch and variable-pitch controlled multirotors [i.e., revolution per minute (RPM) and collective pitch control]. The study encompasses single-, twin-, and quad-rotor configurations under hovering flight conditions. The unsteady blade motion is modeled as a function of RPM and pitch, fluctuating with frequency and amplitude. To comprehensively account for wake interaction effects, a free-wake vortex lattice method combined with acoustic analogy is utilized. The findings reveal that unsteady blade motion and wake interaction effects cause fluctuations in thrust and tip vortex trajectory. The thrust and tip vortex behavior exhibited greater instability in response to RPM fluctuations than to pitch fluctuations. Consequently, the axial unsteady loading noise was more pronounced under RPM fluctuations compared to pitch fluctuations. In both twin- and quad-rotor configurations, the wake interaction significantly influenced the characteristics of thrust and tip vortex behavior. In addition, spectral analysis demonstrated that the frequencies of unsteady blade motion and wake interaction determine the frequencies of thrust and tip vortex fluctuations as well as unsteady loading noise.