Comparative Investigation on Improved Aerodynamic and Acoustic Performance of Abnormal Rotors by Bionic Edge Design and Rational Material Selection

Rotor plays a vital role in the dynamical system of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Prominent aerodynamic and acoustic performance are a long-term pursuit for the rotor. Inspired by excellent quiet flight characteristics of owls, this work adopted bionic edge design and rational material selection strategy to improve aerodynamic and acoustic performance of the rotor. A reference model of rotor prototype with streamlined edges was firstly generated by reverse engineering method. With inspiration from owl wings and feathers, bionic rotors with rational design on leading and trailing edges were obtained. Original and bionic rotors were fabricated with polyamide PA 12 and Resin 9400 by 3D printing technique. Aerodynamic and acoustic performance of the as-fabricated rotors were experimentally measured and analyzed in detail using a self-established test system. Comparative experimental results indicated that the aerodynamic and acoustic performance of the rotors was closely related to the bionic structures, material properties, and rotational speeds. At the same rotational speed, bionic rotor fabricated with Resin 9400 can produce a higher thrust than the prototype one and its power consumption was also reduced. The resulting noise of different bionic rotors and their directivities were comparatively investigated. The results verified the bionic edge design strategy can effectively control the turbulent flow field and smoothly decompose the airflow near the tailing edge, which resulting in enhancing the thrust and reducing the noise. This work could provide beneficial inspiration and strong clues for mechanical engineers and material scientists to design new abnormal rotors with promising aerodynamic and acoustic performance.