Variable Pitch Propeller for UAV-Experimental Tests

Damian Obidowski,Katarzyna Koter,Maciej Podsędkowski,Rafał Konopiński

doi:10.3390/en13205264

Damian Obidowski, Katarzyna Koter + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/en13205264

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Journal: Energies	Publication Date: Oct 10, 2020
Citations: 16	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Lodz University of Technology

Abstract

Growth in application fields of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and an increase in their total number are followed by higher and higher expectations imposed on improvements in UAV propulsion and energy management systems. Most commercial vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAVs employ a constant pitch propeller that forces a mission execution tradeoff in the majority of cases. An alternative solution, presented here, consists of the use of a variable pitch propeller. The paper summarizes experimental measurements of the propulsion system equipped with an innovative variable pitch rotor. The investigations incorporated characteristics of the rotor for no wind conditions and a new approach to optimize pitch settings in hover flight as a function of UAV weight and energy consumption. As UAV battery capacity is always limited, efficient energy management is the only way to increase UAV mission performance. The study shows that use of a variable pitch propeller can increase the maximal takeoff weight of the aircraft and improve power efficiency in hover, especially if load varies for different missions. The maximal thrust measured was 31% higher with respect to the original blade settings. The coefficient of thrust during hover showed an increase of 2.6% up to 7.5% for various pitch angles with respect to the original fixed propeller.

Highlights

Since the early 1990s, dynamic development of small unmanned flying vehicles [1] can be observed.An important issue when designing and building them is to ensure best performance, which includes flight time [2], load capacity [3], the maximal distance that the unit can cover [4] and the maximal speed [5].Currently, great emphasis is placed on high flight parameters resulting directly from the quality of propulsion system [6] and trajectory optimization [7]
The investigations of the variable pitch propeller were performed with use of the dedicated test rig
This paper presents extensive investigations for one commercially popular modification of its geometry, investigations one commercially in particular,for to change the pitch angle available of propellerpopular blades. propeller, including modification of its

Summary

Introduction

Great emphasis is placed on high flight parameters resulting directly from the quality of propulsion system [6] and trajectory optimization [7]. Such a system usually consists of a battery, an engine speed controller (ESC), an engine and a propeller [8]. Propellers, which are usually used, have a constant pitch due to their simple construction [9]. Such propellers are adapted to specific flight conditions [10]. It is impossible to achieve optimal performance while changing flight conditions

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