Test Stand for Propellers and Rotors in VTOL Drone Systems

Małgorzata Wojtas; Przemysław Wyszkowski; Mirosław Mądro; Maciej Osiewicz; Paweł Kmita

doi:10.2478/tar-2023-0006

Figures & Tables

LY-70KGF Thrust Stand and Dynamometer Wing Flayng

WF-CO-30KGF Coaxial Thrust Stand Wing Flayng

Modular Stand for testing aircraft electric propulsion systems NASA

Rotor/propeller test stand in Hover Institute of Aviation

Propeller thrust test stand – visualisation [own elaboration].

The principle of measuring the propeller thrust on the presented stand [own elaboration].

Map of reduced stress according to the Huber-Von-Mises hypothesis with a point measurement in the vicinity of the calculated transverse opening [own elaboration].

Structural calculation: (top) mounting plate model; (bottom) map of the mounting plate effort according to the Huber-Von-Mises hypothesis [own elaboration].

Propeller thrust test stand – electrical diagram [own elaboration].

Dynamic model – block diagram [own elaboration].

Construction of regulators in the MATLAB Simulink program [own elaboration].

Propeller model with moments of inertia [own elaboration].

Model of the entire system built in MATLAB Simulink [own elaboration].

Tests’ propellers: commercial wooden Aerobat (left), and carbon composite from the Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation (right).

Course of step excitations for: 1st cycle (left) and 2nd cycle (right) [own elaboration].

Summary of Aerobat propeller rotational speed and torque in the 1st cycle [own elaboration].

Summary of Aerobat propeller rotational speed and torque in the 2nd cycle [own elaboration].

Comparison of actual results with the simulation results for Aerobat propeller [own elaboration].

Summary of Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation propeller rotational speed and torque in the 1st cycle [own elaboration].

Summary of Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation propeller rotational speed and torque in the 2nd cycle [own elaboration].

Comparison of actual results with the simulation results for the carbon composite Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation propeller [own elaboration].

Test stand overview [8–10]_

Test Stand	Thrust	Torque	Propeller diameter	Electric parameters	RPM
LY-70KGF Thrust Stand and Dynamometer Wing Flayng	±70 daN	±50 Nm	Max ~ 1.52 m	Current: 0–300 AVoltage: 5-110 V	60,000 – 150,000 RPM
WF-CO-30KGF Coaxial Thrust Stand Wing Flayng	±30 daN	±20 Nm	Max ~1.00 m	Current: 0–150 AVoltage: 5–65 V	60,000 – 150,000 RPM
Series 1780 Test Stand TYTO Robotics	±75 daN	±48 Nm	Max ~1.77 m	Current: 0–500 AVoltage:0–100 V	100,000 RPM
Modular Stand for testing aircraft electric propulsion systems NASA	±225 daN	±200 Nm	Max ~1.77 m	N/A	20,000 RPM
Rotor/propeller test stand in Hover Institute of Aviation	±3,000 daN	±4,800 Nm	Max ~10 m	Electric power: 315 kW	Min. 126 RPM, max. 1,500 RPM

Initial parameters, step function of the torque and the corresponding currents - 1st cycle_

No.	Starting point - torque (Nm)	RMS current corresponding to torque (A)	Ending point - torque (Nm)	RMS current corresponding to torque (A)
1			8.5	14.2
2	6.0	10.0	10.0	16.7
3			14.0	23.3
4			25.5	42.5
5	23.0	38.3	27.0	45.0
6			31.0	51.7
7			35.5	59.2
8	33.0	55.0	37.0	61.7
9			41.0	68.3
10			47.5	79.2
11	45.0	75.0	49.0	81.7
12			53.0	88.3
13			60.5	100.8
14	58.0	96.7	62.0	103.3
15			66.0	110.0
16			70.5	117.5
17	68.0	113.3	72.0	120.0
18			76.0	126.7

Initial parameters, step function of the torque and the corresponding currents — 2nd cycle_

No.	Starting point - torque (Nm)	RMS current corresponding to torque (A)	Ending point - torque (Nm)	RMS current corresponding to torque (A)
1	6.0	10.0	76.0	126.7
2	23.0	38.3
3	33.0	55.0
4	45.0	75.0
5	58.0	96.7
6	68.0	113.3

Comparison of actual results with the simulation results for the same RMS currents, Aerobat propeller_

	Experimental research		Numerical model research
Current (A)	Torque (Nm)	Rotational speed (RPM)	Torque (Nm)	Rotational speed (RPM)
3.86	2.4	640.0	2.3	720.0
8.76	5.3	1,065.0	5.3	1,087.0
17.45	10.7	1,550.0	10.5	1,534.0
29.08	18.0	2,030.0	17.5	1,980.0
36.80	22.7	2,280.0	22.1	2,226.0
44.70	27.8	2,520.0	26.8	2,456.0
53.6	33.1	2,755.0	32.2	2,688.0
66.5	40.5	3,020.0	39.9	2,995.0

Adjustment time for Łukasiewicz — Institute of Aviation propeller — 2nd cycle_

Lp.	Starting point - torque (Nm)	Ending point - torque (Nm)	Adjustment time (s)
1	6.0	76.0	3.4
2	23.0	76.0	3.1
3	33.0	76.0	3.0
4	45.0	76.0	2.9
5	58.0	76.0	2.8
6	68.0	76.0	2.2

Comparison between the actual results and the simulation results for the same RMS currents, for the carbon composite Łukasiewicz — Institute of Aviation propeller_

	Experimental research		Numerical model research
Present current (A)	Torque (Nm)	Rotational speed (RPM)	Torque (Nm)	Rotational speed (RPM)
11.09	7.62	565.0	6.65	540.0
23.99	15.35	825.0	14.39	794.0
38.96	24.40	1,045.0	23.38	1,011.0
54.32	33.37	1,215.0	32.69	1,195.0
63.99	38.73	1,305.0	38.39	1,296.0
75.37	45.15	1,405.0	45.22	1,406.0
89.29	52.30	1,515.0	53.57	1,531.0
103.81	59.35	1,615.0	62.29	1,651.0
121.99	66.91	1,715.0	73.19	1,789.0
137.16	72.61	1,770.0	82.30	1,897.0

Moments of inertia of elements included in the model_

	I (kg mm²)
The knot from the engine to the propeller attachment	13,503
Propeller mounting hub	4,350
Propeller	246,083

Adjustment time for Aerobat propeller — 1st cycle_

No.	Starting point - torque (Nm)	Ending point - torque (Nm)	Adjustment time (s)
1	6.0	8.5	3.9
2		10.0	3.9
3		14.0	3.9
4	23.0	25.5	2.5
5		27.0	2.5
6		31.0	2.5
7	33.0	35.5	2.1
8		37.0	2.1
9		41.0	2.1
10	45.0	47.5	2.0
11		49.0	2.0
12		53.0	2.0

Adjustment time for Łukasiewicz — Institute of Aviation propeller — 1st cycle_

No.	Starting point - torque (Nm)	Ending point - torque (Nm)	Adjustment time (s)
1		8.5	6.0
2	6	10.0	6.0
3		14.0	6.0
4		25.5	4.7
5	23	27.0	4.5
6		31.0	4.5
7		35.5	3.7
8	33	37.0	3.7
9		41.0	3.7
10		47.5	3.0
11	45	49.0	3.0
12		53.0	3.0
13		60.5	2.8
14	58	62.0	2.7
15		66.0	2.7
16		70.5	2.2
17	68	72.0	2.2
18		76.0	2.2

Adjustment time for Aerobat propeller — 2nd cycle_

No.	Starting point - torque (Nm)	Ending point - torque (Nm)	Adjustment time (s)
1	6.0	53.0	2.5
2	16.0	53.0	2.4
3	23.0	53.0	2.3
4	32.0	53.0	2.3
5	40.0	53.0	2.2
6	47.0	53.0	2.0

Test Stand for Propellers and Rotors in VTOL Drone Systems

Figures & Tables

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Test stand overview [8–10]_

Initial parameters, step function of the torque and the corresponding currents - 1st cycle_

Initial parameters, step function of the torque and the corresponding currents — 2nd cycle_

Comparison of actual results with the simulation results for the same RMS currents, Aerobat propeller_

Adjustment time for Łukasiewicz — Institute of Aviation propeller — 2nd cycle_

Comparison between the actual results and the simulation results for the same RMS currents, for the carbon composite Łukasiewicz — Institute of Aviation propeller_

Moments of inertia of elements included in the model_

Adjustment time for Aerobat propeller — 1st cycle_

Adjustment time for Łukasiewicz — Institute of Aviation propeller — 1st cycle_

Adjustment time for Aerobat propeller — 2nd cycle_

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