Abstract

With the use deployable drones becoming more common research into their improvement is necessary. Deployable drones that are launched from tubes have size limits on the diameter of the propeller during launch and storage. The purpose of this research is to develop deployable propeller blades for practical uses, such as tube launched propeller driven drones and easier to transport wind turbine blades. A deployable propeller will allow for the utilization of larger propellers when a large non-deployable blade isn't an option. Because deployable propellers need to fold, the deployable propeller blades were designed to be hollow and with a slit across the leading and trailing edges of the blades. Because of this unique design, a deployable propeller is not as structurally sound as a conventional propeller, and it requires pressure distributions to be sure the propeller can withstand operation without becoming deformed and compromised. My work will focus on using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling and physical testing to test the aerodynamic design concerns of the deployable propeller, the effects of the unique design requirements on its aerodynamics, and developing a model to quantify the aerodynamic drivers of the deployable propeller. The results indicated that the modifications used to make the propeller deployable did not prevent the propeller from functioning properly and that the model was accurate enough to be used as a method for testing potential designs before manufacturing and physically testing prototypes.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2022

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Kinzel, Michael

Degree

Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering (M.S.A.E.)

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Degree Program

Aerospace Engineering; Thermofluid Aerodynamic Systems

Identifier

CFE0009221; DP0026824

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0026824

Language

English

Release Date

August 2022

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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