Honors Theses

Advisor

Carson Running

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Publication Date

11-15-2023

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Abstract

The ground effects of propellers have been extensively studied. Although the flow field between a propeller and a ground plate has been theoretically and experimentally analyzed through a variety of methods, there are limitations to the current work, especially in globally analyzing the nature of the flow along the ground plate and unsteady analysis. This study provides a proof of concept that back-imaged pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) can successfully analyze the pressure along such a ground plate. The pressure field was successfully measured utilizing this technique. By analyzing the pressure field in the frequency domain, the unsteady characteristics of the flow were able to be quantitatively determined, further revealing the separation between tangential and radial flow seen in previous work. This provides a promising area for potential use of PSP to more fully understand the flow field under rotor blades in ground effect, thereby improving safety and performance.

Permission Statement

This item is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and may only be used for noncommercial, educational, and scholarly purposes.

Keywords

Undergraduate research

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