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Variable Pitch Propeller for UAV-Experimental Tests

Author

Listed:
  • Maciej Podsędkowski

    (Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, 90924 Łódź, Poland)

  • Rafał Konopiński

    (Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, 90924 Łódź, Poland)

  • Damian Obidowski

    (Institute of Turbomachinery, Lodz University of Technology, 90924 Łódź, Poland)

  • Katarzyna Koter

    (Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, 90924 Łódź, Poland)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Maciej Podsędkowski & Rafał Konopiński & Damian Obidowski & Katarzyna Koter, 2020. "Variable Pitch Propeller for UAV-Experimental Tests," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-16, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:20:p:5264-:d:425840
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Boukoberine, Mohamed Nadir & Zhou, Zhibin & Benbouzid, Mohamed, 2019. "A critical review on unmanned aerial vehicles power supply and energy management: Solutions, strategies, and prospects," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    2. Dariusz Horla & Jacek Cieślak, 2020. "On Obtaining Energy-Optimal Trajectories for Landing of UAVs," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-25, April.
    3. Abdullah Mohiuddin & Tarek Taha & Yahya Zweiri & Dongming Gan, 2019. "UAV Payload Transportation via RTDP Based Optimized Velocity Profiles," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-25, August.
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