Experimental Investigation of Propeller-Wing Interactions for VTOL Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

This paper carries out experimental investigation of propeller and wing interactions under various geometric variations such as the horizontal and vertical distance between the propeller axis and the leading edge of the wing under different angle of attack conditions for a half wing setup for a wing made of symmetric airfoil. Rotor and wing performance is measured using independent six-component load cells. Through this study it is identified that for a wing made of symmetric airfoil optimal aerodynamic performance is significantly influenced by the position of the propeller. Positioning the propeller near the leading edge (x/c = 0.25) and on the negative side of the y-axis (y/c = −0.75) yields the best lift-to-drag ratios and enhanced lift, particularly in the moderate α range (4°–6°). Forward movement of the propeller along the x-axis (towards x/c = 0.75 or 1.00) increases drag and adversely affects performance.