Test Stand for Propellers and Rotors in VTOL Drone Systems

The paper proposes a stand that can be used for the testing of propellers and rotors with diameters up to 2.4 m, whose areas of application encompass, inter alia, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) type multi-rotor drone systems. The presented solution allows for testing propellers in systems with electric motors. To a certain extent, it is possible to achieve an increase in the measuring range by changing electric motors, power supply systems and measuring sensors. The paper presents several solutions for test stands that can be applied in the testing of propeller parameters, and commercially available propellers have also been deployed in the testing routines. The paper briefly presents the concept of the stand and its design, as well as the principle of operation and structural calculations underlying its functioning, after which the numerical model of the test stand is explained. The article then demonstrates the particular results of the test stand model’s functioning using the EMRAX 188 electric motor and two propellers, namely a commercial Aerobat propeller and a composite propeller designed and manufactured at the Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation. Thus, the paper presents both the theoretical results that follow from the model and the results of experimental research.