PROGRESS IN AEROSPACE AND AVIATION TECHNOLOGY VOL. 2 NO.

2 (2022) 8-16

© Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Publisher’s Office

Progress in
Aerospace and
PAAT Aviation
http://publisher.uthm.edu.my/ojs/index.php/paat
Technology
e-ISSN: 2821-2924

Airflow Characteristic of UAV Quadcopter Propeller Blade

Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
Najma Nazlifah Azizan1, Azwan Sapit1,*
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering,
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia.

*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30880/paat.2022.02.02.002
Received 13 December 2022; Accepted 23 December 2022; Available online 31 December 2022

Abstract: In this study, the main focus is to study of air flow characteristic of UAV quadcopter propeller at
incorporate blade profile using variable angle of attack (AoA) and revolution per minute (RPM) with its twisted
blade using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) / Ansys tool. Three propellers have been designed which Propeller
1 is untwisted while Propeller 2 and 3 twisted at certain angle. Three speeds which are 4000 rpm, 6000 rpm and 8000
rpm have been set for each propeller are being analysed using ANSYS Fluid Flow (fluent). The result shows the
different thrust force generated by three propellers and Propeller 2 (33.6757 N) has the highest thrust force generated
compared to Propeller 1 and 3 especially at 8000 rpm. This is due to the suitable twisting angle profile that has been
set at the Propeller 2 at this operating speed. For comparison, Propeller 3 produce the highest thrust force of 18.44
N at 6000 rpm exceeding Propeller 2 which is 17.81 N. To summarize, each propeller blade profile has a distinctive
aerodynamic performance and should be adopted by matching the flight operating condition. Higher rpm generates
higher thrust force, and increase lift and drag coefficient.

Keywords: Airflow, thrust force, propeller blade, quadcopter, UAV, ANSYS

1. Introduction
Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) is a common device that are used in develop country across the world based on the
economic cost and growth of technology. A quadcopter is a short form for quadrotor helicopter which is commonly
known as quadrotor. Quadcopter is the most used UAV in many activities which they have four propellers that provide
to the quadcopter. Basically, UAV is a flying vehicle that can be remotely or programmed to conduct autonomous task
[1] which do not need a pilot to control instead all people who learned to fly the UAV start at young age. Previously, the
usage of UAV only limited for military purpose but nowadays, the function becomes variety that can be used for other
activities such as photography, regional mapping and entertainment media [2]. A few features offered such as small size,
low cost and easy manoeuvrability of these system have made them potential in avionics industry [3] and become the
most useful avionic in the 4th industrial revolutionary. They are divided into several categories such as Fixed-Wing,
rotary-wing, flapping-wing, and blimp. But UAV that use rotary wing are very favourable because they can balance the
force generated by rotor when flying and also can follow specified trajectory, do vertical landings and take offs as well
as hovering [4] that is what made them popular in UAV market. UAV like quadcopter has four propellers which two of
them rotate in clockwise while the other two rotate in counter clockwise creating a torque that can be cancelled each
other [5] This torque also can create rotational movement for quadcopter.
In order for the UAV to fly high and stable, few factors should be taken into consideration such as power source
that consist of battery or fuel, rotors, propeller and a frame. The frame of the UAV must be lightweight for it to increase
the flight length. The power source must be withstanding the long-term flight and also in light weight as well as
rechargeable so that the UAV can be used again. Another important thing is the propellers that are going to be the focus

*Corresponding author: [email protected] 8

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Azizan and Sapit, Progress in Aerospace and Aviation Technology Vol. 2 No. 2 (2022) p. 8-16

of this study. The design and rotation of propeller really plays an important role for the thrust and lifting force of the
UAVs [6]. The propellers need to be carefully selected because the wrong propeller geometry and profile can impact the
flight characteristic and efficiency of the UAV. There are a few factors affecting the propellers efficiency such as number
of blades, revolution per minute (RPM), propeller diameter, blade outline, camber and angle of attack (AoA), and
pitch/diameter ratio [7].

2. Methodology
This chapter will discuss the flow and methods that will be used to guarantee that the scope of study and objective
of the study are met or achieved.

2.1 Geometry Model of Propeller

There are 3 propellers being designed and used to analyse the angle of attack, lift and drag coefficient by testing it
with different speed, revolution per minute (RPM). The one propeller has untwisted design of propeller while the other
2 are twisted.
Table 1 - Parameter of propeller
Parameter Propeller 1 Propeller 2 Propeller 3
30° at root, 55° at mid and 45° at root, 65° at mid and
Angle, 𝜃 50°
5° at tip 20° at tip
Twisted No Yes Yes

Fig.1 - Propeller 1 without twisted blade Fig. 2 - Propeller 2 with twisted blade

Fig. 3 - Propeller 3 with twisted blade

2.2 Simulation Setup

In this study, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) by ANSYS Fluent software was implemented. Typically,
engineering simulation begins with a drawing that describes the design. Once completed, the geometry files are
transferred to the ANSYS software, where they are saved in the STEP format. Then, import the simulation into one of
the ANSYS-provided software packages that is fluent and suited for fluid or air movement.

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Fig. 4 - The fluid flow (fluent) ANSYS software

Fig. 5 - Creating enclosure 1 and enclosure 2

This study was followed by a wind tunnel analysis. The tunnel must be designed in such way that the wind blows
in just one direction. In reality, the wind tunnel method forces air around the target, giving the impression that it is
moving. Strong fans blow air through tube when this method is utilised, and the object is securely fixed within to prevent
movement. Enclosure 1 is set as rotating domain and enclosure 2 is static domain.

2.3 Meshing
Before the numerical simulation, the propeller, and its entity, as well as the computational domain, must be defined. The
mesh quality is critical since it has a direct effect on the calculation accuracy and computational convergence speed.
Below are detail of mesh and the named selection to the face of the enclosure.

Fig. 6 - Details of mesh and project outline

The size nodes used are 956857 while elements are 5532846. The sizing element can be adjusted to set the size of
nodes and elements. The smaller the size element of meshing the detail the mesh. Besides, the meshing skewness is less
than 0.84 so the result is still acceptable.

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2.4 Simulation Parameter Setup

Table 2 shows the parameter for the simulation. The propeller model used in this study work has three distinct
characteristics which are angle of attack, twisting blade and speed, RPM. The model is three-dimensional. The inlet
velocity is set to 30m/s. Each propeller rotates at three distinct speeds which are 4000 rpm, 6000 rpm, and 8000 rpm.

Table 2 - Parameter value

Parameter Parameter Value
Propeller rotation 4000 rpm, 6000 rpm and 8000 rpm
Time Steady
Gravity 9.81 m/s2
Flying medium Air
Specified operating density 1.225 kg/m3
Density of air, 𝜌 1.225 kg/m3
Velocity inlet, v 30 m/s
Viscous model k-epsilon (realizable)
Flying medium Air
Type of airflow k-epsilon
The viscosity of fluid, µ 1.7894e-05

3. Results and Discussion

3.1 Validation Using 2-D Airfoil Simulation
In this research paper, the validation is made in 2-dimensional airfoil of NACA version. The airfoil model that has
been chosen to create the propeller is NACA 4412. The simulation is made in Ansys Fluent software in 2-D form by
using various angles of attack which are 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20. The result can be seen in Fig. 7 and Table 3.

Table 3: The result of 2-D simulation

Angle of attack CL CD
(result) (result)
0 0.0095 0.00132
5 0.0209 0.0032
10 0.0325 0.00364
15 0.0423 0.00592
20 0.0467 0.00837

0.05 0.007
0.04 0.006
0.005
0.03 0.004
CL

CD

0.02 0.003
0.002
0.01
0.001
0 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 10 20 30
Angle of attack, α Angle of attack, α

Fig. 7: Graph angle of attack against CL and graph angle of attack against CD

From Fig. 7, we can see that the graph shows the increment as the angle of attack increase the lift coefficient also
increase same goes to the drag coefficient. When compared to data previously publish, the trend and the value match
with acceptable margin of error.

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3.2 Thrust Force

To simulate the propeller thrust force, the velocity inlet has been set to 30 m/s. The simulation was run on a three-
dimensional model to calculate thrust force and analyze lift. Each propeller design has a different coefficient of resistance.
as well as the rotational speeds of the propellers were 4000, 6000, and 8000 RPM. The thrust force value is shown in
Table 4 obtained through simulation and represented graphically.

Table 4 - Thrust force value for all propellers

Propeller Speed, RPM Thrust force, N

4000 6.0657
1 6000 16.1112
8000 31.0875
4000 4.6999
2 6000 17.8152
8000 33.6757
4000 8.0724
3 6000 18.4441
8000 32.9427

40
35
30
Thrust force, N

25
20 Propeller 1
15
Propeller 2
10
5 Propeller 3
0
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
Speed, RPM

Fig. 8 - Comparison of thrust force on Propeller 1, 2 and 3

Fig. 8 shows that all of the propellers thrust force increase as the speed of the propeller increase by 4000 rpm, 6000
rpm and 8000 rpm. This trend showed in related research paper such as the experimental research done by [8]. For the
Propeller 1 (red line), the graph increases steadily starting at 4000 rpm with thrust force 6.0657 N, at 4000 rpm with
thrust force 16.6112 N while Propeller 2 at 4000 rpm has 4.6999 N. Propeller 1 without twisted blade seems to have
lower thrust force compared to Propeller 2 and 3. From the first segment (4000 to 6000 rpm) By looking at the graph, we
can see that Propeller 2 has lower thrust at the speed 4000 rpm (4.6999 N) compared to others but increase gradually as
the speed increase. Propeller 3 has the highest thrust force at the speed due to the higher twisting angle than others.
In segment 2 (6000 to 8000 rpm), we can see that from the graph that Propeller 1 which has no twisted angle has
lowest thrust force (16.1112 N) compared to Propeller 2 and 3. Propeller 3 recorded the highest thrust force at speed 6000
rpm (18.4441 N) while Propeller 2 has 17.8152 N that can function efficiently. At 8000 rpm Propeller 1 has 31.0875 N
still cannot beat the other propeller. Propeller 2 has the highest optimum value of thrust force that can be generate which
is 33.6757 N.
Based on the discussion have made and the comparison of graphs shown in Fig. 8. We can say that twisted propeller
generates more thrust force compared to untwisted propeller. The best propeller is Propeller 2 that has twisting blade at
root 30˚ degree, middle 55˚ degree and at tip 5˚ degree although Propeller 2 has bigger twisting but increasing the angle
of attack after reaching maximum lift, on the other hand, causes a faster or slower lift drop. this follows the article from
[10] Propeller 2 is recommended to be operated at speed 8000 rpm as it has the highest thrust force among others.

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3.3 Lift and Drag Coefficient

From Fig. 9, it is shown that as the speed increase, the lift coefficient also increases. At 8000 rpm, Propeller 2 has
the highest lift coefficient when compared to Propeller 1 and 3. In Fig. 10 the graph shows the speed increase, the drag
coefficient also increases Propeller 2 has the lowest CD compared to Propeller 1 and 3 at 8000 rpm.

Table 5 - Lift and drag coefficient value

Propeller Speed, RPM Lift coefficient Drag coefficient
1 4000 9.9032 -0.014914
6000 26.3023 0.82053
8000 50.7551 1.85501
2 4000 7.6732 0.1631
6000 29.0860 0.2629
8000 54.9807 0.8439
3 4000 13.1794 0.1804
6000 30.1127 0.0732
8000 53.7840 1.4062

60

50

40
Propeller 1
CL

30
Propeller 2
20 Propeller 3

10

0
0 5000 10000
Speed, RPM

Fig. 9 - Graph speed, RPM against CL for all propeller

1.5

1 Propeller 1
CD

propeller 2
0.5 Propeller 3

0
0 5000 10000

-0.5
Speed, RPM

Fig. 10 - Graph speed, RPM against CD for all propeller

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3.4 Pressure Contour

Based on Fig. 11, pressure at Propeller 2 also increases as the speed increases, especially at bottom of the propeller
blade. At speed 4000 rpm the pressure at the tip is 273.9 Pa and has lowest pressure at root. The pressure differential
between the top and bottom of the propeller provides thrust. The dark blue colour on the propeller blade indicates lowest
pressure which act on the top surface around the edges which has the value of -1634 Pa. Higher pressure around the tip
area because of the twisting of blade caused the tip travel faster than the middle part of the propeller. The pressure near
the upper surface of the propeller is significantly lower than the pressure near the lower surface, and the pressure declines
from the blade's root to its tip
Furthermore, there is a zone of negative pressure on top of the airfoil, indicating that the air flowing over the top is
sucking the blade upwards. It is feasible to determine that the negative pressure generated on the top surface of the
propeller contributes more to lift creation than the high pressure generated on the bottom surface by comparing the
measured pressure levels in this simulation. This trend showed in related research paper such as the experimental research
done by [10].

a) b)

c)
Fig. 11 - Speed of propeller 2 at (a) 4000 rpm; (b) 6000 rpm; (c) 8000 rpm

3.5 Velocity streamline

Based on Fig. 12 which show Propeller 2 velocity streamline, the downward streamline at speed 4000 rpm is 24.57
ms-1, at 6000 rpm is 33.49 ms-1 and 8000 rpm is 44 ms-1. The velocity streamline is more intense at the rotating propeller
as the yellow and red contour can be seen at the edge. The streamline can be observed more powerful as the speed increase
and the propeller are trapped more air inside the rotating domain that led to the air flow pattern more turbulence especially
at 8000 rpm.

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Azizan and Sapit, Progress in Aerospace and Aviation Technology Vol. 2 No. 2 (2022) p. 8-16

a)

b)

c)

Fig. 12 - Velocity streamline of propeller 2 at speed (a) 4000 rpm; (b) 6000 rpm; (c) 8000 rpm

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4. Conclusion
Airflow characteristic of quadcopter propeller blade was studied. By using 3 propellers with distinctive design that
incorporate straight and twisting blade profile. Lift coefficient, drag coefficient and force generated was calculated. 3
different speed of blade speed also were chosen to represent the operating condition of the actual quadcopter, at 4000
rpm, 6000 rpm and 8000 rpm.
From the analysis, it is shown that Propeller 2 design is effective when the quadcopter operates at a very high rpm.
It gives higher thrust and lift coefficient than others. The design of Propeller 2 which has moderate angle of attack
propeller twisting profile believed to help. At 8000 rpm Propeller 2 generate highest thrust force of 33.6757 N, highest
CL of 54.98 and lowest CD of 0.84, when compared to others propeller. When operating at medium speed of 6000 rpm,
Propeller 3 is considered effective with thrust force of 18.44 N, C L of 30.11 and CD of 0.073.

Acknowledgement
The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia for supporting the completion of this research.

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