Aerodynamic Study of Propeller-Engine Performance for Micro Air Vehicle Design

The present research is due to study the performance of engine and propeller to be used in the design of a Micro Air Vehicle (MAV), utilizing for it commercial parts like engines and propellers to reduce fabrication costs. An experimental metodology was used to measure the followings variables for the engines: Thrust (T), velocity (RPM), cylinder head temperature (CHT), wind incident velocity (V₈), aerodynamic drag (D) and momentum (M). A subsonic wind tunnel was use to study: the motor-propeller thrust, the aerodynamic drag and the velocity profiles of each propeller. In order to know the adequate flight velocity for the MAV, the relation thrust against drag (T/D) was studied. The propeller-engine selection was in funtion of its trush and efficiency. The lifth variation of the airplane due to the downstream zone of the propeller was introduced to acurate the model design.