A VERSATILE DYNAMIC ROTOR AND PROPELLER MODEL FOR ELECTRIC VTOL SIMULATION APPLICATIONS

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2022-9-02
Esmek, Ceren Cansu
This thesis presents a versatile, dynamic rotor/propeller model for various all-electric and hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) simulation applications. The goal is to reflect the transformative potential of eVTOL to carry different types of thrust sources using one generic mathematical model. The thrust sources may include propellers, articulated rotors, ducted rotors, and coaxial rotors. These rotors are modeled based on blade element theory. Rotor inflow is estimated using the uniform dynamic inflow model or Pitt-Peters dynamic inflow model. They are interchangeable based on the application's fidelity and complexity. The dynamic rotor/propeller model allows to position and orient multiple rotors and propellers in any desired configuration. This model can be used during the conceptual design phase in isolated rotor simulations, performance calculations, stability analyses, sensitivity analyses, optimization, and trade studies for eVTOL applications since it is an all-parametric and computationally robust tool. The model outputs are compared with the wind tunnel test data of the isolated rotors found in the literature. Simulation results of an example complex multi-rotor eVTOL are shown and discussed.

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Citation Formats
C. C. Esmek, “A VERSATILE DYNAMIC ROTOR AND PROPELLER MODEL FOR ELECTRIC VTOL SIMULATION APPLICATIONS,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2022.