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Design methodology of a UAV propeller implemented in monitoring activities

Abstract:

The widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has gained significant importance given their low cost and range of possible applications. Nevertheless, design methodologies integrating aerodynamic and structural evaluations for UAV propellers have not been widely explored. A proper design of UAV propellers provides compelling energy savings, and the selection of structurally adequate blades ensures UAV integrity. This work presents a methodology for the aerodynamic design of propellers using parametric and high-fidelity tools coupled with a structural evaluation scheme using FEM. For this aim, different propeller configurations were determined using BEMT and MIL approaches. Furthermore, a baseline airframe and usual operating conditions for monitoring tasks were selected and evaluated throughout several optimized propeller configurations. The design obtained through the two-dimensional aforesaid approach is evaluated using numerical simulation, coupling the aerodynamic loads with the structural design through FSI in ANSYS 18. Subsequent aerodynamic evaluation revealed congruence between BEMT and CFD results, with a 9% maximum percentage error between results. Moreover, the findings of the studied case scenarios showed an improvement in thrust generation capabilities for a 1.48 m diameter 3 bladed propeller, with an 80% efficiency. Results for the structural assessment indicated acceptable stress concentrations for all configurations at the design point and an overall better structural performance for a 0.99 m diameter 3 bladed propeller. To summarize, the main contribution of this work is a design methodology tailored for UAV propellers able to pbkp_redict their performance and optimal configurations using a fast and accurate enough calculation scheme for preliminary design stage.