What is it about?
For small S/VTOL UAVs, the propeller design should reach a compromise between S/VTOL and cruise. But the complexity cost of variable-pitch propeller is too high to be applied to small propellers. To achieve the propeller pitch variability with minimum mechanic complexity and weight cost, the aero-stable concept was used in blades design. In this case, the propeller pitch was variable under the aerodynamic moment.
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Why is it important?
Small and medium-sized UAVs, especially vertical take-off and landing UAVs, face huge differences in propeller conditions. At present, an effective way to overcome this difference is to use variable pitch propeller. But the traditional variable pitch propeller has complex variable pitch mechanism, which limits the application of variable pitch system in small and medium-sized UAV. In order to realize the variable pitch capability of propeller with minimum weight cost, the aerodynamic variable pitch method can be adopted.
Perspectives
I came up with the concept of aero-stable blases on my own. But when I read other literature, I found that some excellent scholars have put it into practice, which is more in-depth and realistic than my preliminary thinking. I have learned a lot from them, and I am very grateful. This article is still a preliminary study, and I need to learn more from other scholars.
Zhongyun FAN
Northwestern Polytechnical University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Development and Analysis of Variable Pitch Propeller with Aerodynamic Stable Blades, Journal of Aircraft, November 2020, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/1.c035832.
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