Rotors are a crucial component of VTOL(vertical take-off and landing) devices like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or helicopters, etc., By generating a rotational force, they create the necessary thrust to lift and maneuver the vehicle in the air. In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on developing rotor designs that are more efficient and effective for eVTOL. This has led to the emergence of several unconventional swept rotor designs that can improve aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performance. The present thesis aims to investigate the impact of achieving a balanced sweep distribution across a rotor blade and how it affects aerodynamic performance. The study explores the potential benefits and drawbacks of unconventional swept rotor designs and compares their performance curves to traditional straight rotor designs. The investigation begins with an overview of rotor design criteria and literature on swept rotor designs. A comprehensive design and analysis of the aerodynamic performance of various rotor designs are conducted using NASA's OpenVSP and VSPAero, a low-fidelity solver that implements the Vortex lattice method. The results are then compared with wind tunnel experiments. Based on the load distribution analysis of multiple sweep designs, it is noted that swept rotors exhibit decreased performance at lower advance ratios. However, as the speed or advance ratio increases, the overall performance of swept rotors significantly improves. This conclusion is drawn from the load distribution data obtained for each blade of the rotors, and by comparing the figure of merit (FOM) of various designs. / Master of Science / Picture this: a sleek unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) soaring through the air, its Propellers whirring efficiently and quietly. What makes this possible? The answer lies in the design of the rotors themselves. Rotors are critical components of UAVs, providing the necessary thrust to lift and maneuver the vehicle in the air. And with the growing demand for more efficient and effective eVTOLs (Vertical take-off and Landing) vehicles, unconventional swept rotor designs have emerged as game-changers in the industry.
The present thesis delves into the impact and effects of Parametric swept designs on rotor aerodynamic performance. The study seeks to uncover the potential benefits and drawbacks of these designs and compare their performance curves to traditional straight rotor designs. The study starts by looking at how rotors are designed and what others have done with similar designs. Various rotor designs have been thoroughly examined in terms of their aerodynamic characteristics using NASA's OpenVSP and VSPaero, a low-fidelity solver that uses the Vortex lattice method. To verify the tools, this data are compared with wind tunnel tests. Due to its cheap computing cost, OpenVSP makes it possible to investigate these discoveries in an economical manner. According to the results, swept rotors perform better at higher speeds than conventional rotors.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/115574 |
| Date | 28 June 2023 |
| Creators | Reddy, Pavan |
| Contributors | Aerospace and Ocean Engineering, Brizzolara, Stefano, Fu, Yao, Kuester, Matthew |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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