Wind Tunnel Studies on a Micro Air VehicleScale Cycloidal Rotor
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Systematic wind tunnelmeasurements were conducted on a small-scale cycloidal rotor (cyclorotor) with a span and diameter of approximately 15 cm. The three parameters varied in the studies were the blade pitch amplitude, phasing of blade pitch with respect to the freestream direction, and advance ratio. The measured quantities included the rotor lift, propulsive force, and power. At low advance ratios, both pitch amplitude and phase angle were effective in varying the rotor lift and propulsive force. At high advance ratios, the propulsive force was a stronger function of pitch amplitude than phase angle. At all advance ratios tested, power was a stronger function of pitch amplitude than phase angle. The parametric study results were interpolated to determine the power consumption, lift-to-drag ratio, and control input requirements of the cyclorotor in straight and level flight conditions. In the interpolation process, the blade pitch amplitude and pitch phase angle were assumed as the two primary control variables (rotational speed was held constant) and a 500-g twin-cyclorotor MAV was used as a reference for the baseline lift values. The effects of varying lift, propulsive force, and rotational speed on rotor power and control input requirements were examined at various forward speeds. The maximum forward speed tested for the cyclorotor in straight and level flight was 13m/s (advance ratio=0.94); at this speed, the power was 36% lower than in hover and the rotor operated at 1740 rpm with a lift of 2.82 N. 2014 The American Helicopter Society.
