Flight Test Validation of Tandem Propeller Performance with Vertical and Horizontal Offset

Flight Test Validation of Tandem Propeller Performance with Vertical and Horizontal Offset

Presenter(s)

Jessica Caitlyn DeMoor, Michael Ryan Foster

Comments

Presentation: 11:20-11:40, Kennedy Union 222

Description

Tandem propellers in forward flight experience an increase in power consumption when compared to the combined output of two standalone propellers. The increment in power is a function of horizontal and vertical displacement between the propellers (including overlap), the advance ratio based on the front rotor, and the inclination angle of the rotors. This functional relationship was quantified in our previous study through experimental investigations in the University of Dayton Low Speed Wind Tunnel using two KDE propellers. All tests were conducted under trim conditions, where the pitching moment of the two propellers was balanced by increasing the RPM of the rear rotor. To validate some of the functional dependencies identified from the wind tunnel investigations, a custom quad-rotor platform was designed and fabricated to conduct a series of flight tests with various propeller configurations that replicate the parameter space explored in the earlier experimental campaign. The quad-rotor platform will utilize an 8-inch propeller to assess the flight performance at three different horizontal and vertical distances between the propellers. For each test-flight, global positioning data, motor rpm, and motor power consumption will be recorded and compared against each propeller configuration. Comparisons between the flight test data and the wind tunnel experiment results will be made.

Publication Date

4-17-2024

Project Designation

Independent Research

Primary Advisor

Sid Gunasekaran

Primary Advisor's Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Keywords

Stander Symposium, School of Engineering

Institutional Learning Goals

Vocation; Scholarship; Practical Wisdom

Flight Test Validation of Tandem Propeller Performance with Vertical and Horizontal Offset

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