Back to BlogBelow is a chronological list of some of the research that has been performed using our test equipment.
2026
Experimental Analysis of Thrust Efficiency and Wake Characterisitics of Toroidal Propellers for Hybrid UAVs
KA Bowers, SJ Rovani, JT Hrynuk, and H Hu, 2026 - AIAA.org
Toroidal propellers have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional blade designs due to their potential for reduced noise and improved aerodynamic performance. This study investigates the feasibility of toroidal propellers for fixed-wing UAVs through experimental testing of three propeller variants: a conventional 4-bladed design, a toroidal configuration, and a modified toroidal propeller featuring a tip angle designed to maintain effective angle of attack at the blade tips...
Investigating the role of propeller geometry and surface characteristics in UAV ice accretion: An experimental study
Manaf Muhammed, Derek Harvey, Hassan Abbas Khawaja, Muhammad Shakeel Virk, and Gelareh Momen, 2026 - sciencedirect.com
A lab based experimental study of atmospheric ice accretion on UAV propellers with different geometric and surface characteristics was conducted to study the ice accretion physics and resultant changes in propeller thrust and electrical power consumption. These experiments were conducted at the Anti-icing Materials International Laboratory (AMIL) Icing Wind Tunnel (IWT) at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC), Canada...
An experimental study to characterize the effect of winglet-like geometries on the performance of UAV propellers
Abdallah Samad, Izhar Ullah, and Naef A.A. Qasem, 2026 - sciencedirect.com
Blade tip geometries strongly influence the aerodynamic performance of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) propellers operating at low Reynolds numbers (Re), where tip-vortex-induced losses become significant. Inspired by the effectiveness of winglets on fixed-wing aircraft, this study experimentally investigates the aerodynamic impact of winglet-like tip geometries applied to UAV propellers...
Noise reduction of UAS: Can acoustic materials provide a solution?
Daniel Urban, Tomas Tluchor, and Simon Konjevic, 2026 - sciencedirect.com
The growing deployment of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) introduces new challenges associated with their acoustic footprint. Excessive noise generated by UAS propulsion units is not only perceived as an undesirable disturbance but may also pose risks to human health and constrain the wider adoption of these technologies...
2025
Experimental Evaluation of Electric Powertrain System for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Srikanth Goli, Dilek Funda Kurtuluş, Imil Hamda Imran, Taiba Kouser, Abdulrahman Aliyu, Luai M. Alhems, and Azhar M. Memon, 2025 - wiley.com
With the growing use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in both civil and military applications, optimizing electric powertrain systems is essential to enhance endurance, efficiency (), and mission adaptability. This study explores the impact of commercially available propeller variations on UAV powertrain performance, keeping the battery, ESC, and brushless DC motor fixed. The hypothesis is that propeller geometry plays a critical role in thrust production and flight endurance...
In-cloud ice accretion and performance degradation of UAV propellers in forward flight: An experimental study
Manaf Muhammed, Derek Harvey, Hassan Abbas Khawaja, Muhammad Shakeel Virk and Gelareh Momen, 2025 - sciencedirect.com
An experimental study of ice accretion on a rotating UAV propeller blade was conducted under diverse environmental conditions. This research aimed to study the effects of varying independent environmental parameters on the characteristics and morphology of the accreted ice as well as its influence on propeller's performance...
Expansion of open-source drone software to include wind analysis
Israel Leuenberg, Pietro Lehmann, and Andre Schmid, 2025 - eprint.ost.ch
This project aims to develop a cost-effective and portable system for measuring wind and turbulence using a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Traditional methods of measuring wind and turbulence (e.g. weather stations or anemometers) are often expensive and not portable, which limits their usefulness for activities such as paragliding. Paragliding pilots are highly dependent on accurate wind and turbulence data for safety reasons, as strong winds and turbulence can create dangerous flying conditions...
Synergizing Helix Active Wake Mixing with Dynamic Yawing: An Exploration Study using Porous Discs in a Wind Tunnel
Jonas Gutknecht, Anne Van Den Homberg, Jelle Linke, Jeroen Van Der Marel, Jesper Van Der Meulen, Raul Hendriks, Axelle Viré and Jan-Willem Van Wingerden, 2025 - iopscience.iop.org
Clustering multiple turbines in close vicinity gives rise to efficiency losses due to the energy extraction of upstream turbines, a phenomenon known as the wake effect. The risk wake-induced power losses pose for the economic feasibility of wind farm projects motivated several methodologies aimed at mitigating the wake effect by dynamically exciting one operational parameter of the upstream turbine...
Experimental Analysis of Shear-Flow Effects on the Aerodynamics and Performance of a Propeller
Elia Pio Mottola, 2025 - webthesis.biblio.polito.it
In the field of helicopter aerodynamics, the proper characterization of the operational environment is essential in order to predict the interaction between the aircraft and the surrounding aerodynamic flow. This requirement becomes even more critical for multirotor drones, whose reduced dimensions make them more sensitive to atmospheric turbulence and velocity gradients...
Experimental Acoustic Investigation of Rotor Noise Directivity and Decay in Multiple Configurations
Giovanni Fasulo, Giosue Longobardo, Fabrizio De Gregorio and Mattia Barbarino, 2025 - mdpi.com
In the framework of the MATIM project, an acoustic test campaign was conducted on a platform derived from a commercial-class quadcopter within the CIRA semi-anechoic chamber. A dedicated rotor rig allowed systematic measurements of thrust, torque, and shaft speed together with near- and far-field noise using ten calibrated 1/2-inch precision microphones. Three configurations were examined: an isolated rotor, the same rotor mounted on an aluminium quadcopter plate, and the full four-rotor assembly...
A Variable-Pitch Propeller System for Dual-Medium UAVs: Design, Modeling, and Validation
Andrei Copaci; Mikołaj Dźwigało; Paweł Kowalczyk; Krzysztof Sierocki; Mads V. Bram; Petar Durdevic, 2025 - IEEE.org
Amphibious UAVs are attracting significant interest due to their potential applications in search and rescue, environmental monitoring, and military reconnaissance. However, designing a propulsion system that performs efficiently in both air and water remains a formidable challenge, given the divergent aerodynamic and hydrodynamic requirements...
Aerodynamic and Aeroacoustic Interactional Effects for a µUAV
G. Longobardo, G. Fasulo, T. Astarita and F. De Gregorio, 2025 - iopscience.iop.org
An experimental campaign has been conducted at the Italian Aerospace Research Center to quantify the interactional effects caused by rotor-rotor interaction on a commercially available µUAV platform. Aerodynamic and aeroacoustic measurements have been carried out for different configurations: data obtained for the isolated rotor, i.e. the baseline configuration, has been compared to the quadcopter configuration...
Leveraging genetic algorithms and neural networks for stiffness and weight optimisation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) support arm
Iuri H. Müller, José Humberto S. Almeida Jr, Sandro C. Amico, Maikson L.P. Tonatto, 2025 - sciencedirect.com
The increasing demand for lightweight and high-performance structures in aerospace applications has spurred the development of advanced design frameworks for 3D-printed composite components. This study proposes a multi-objective optimisation approach that integrates the Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) with an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to optimise the design of a UAV support arm....
Ground Effect Influence on UAV Propeller Thrust: Experimental and CFD Validation
Madalin Dombrovschi, Gabriel-Petre Badea, Tiberius-Florian Frigioescu, Maria Caldarar and Daniel-Eugenie Crunteanu, 2025 - mdpi.com
This work investigates the influence of ground effect on the performance of a UAV propeller through a combined experimental, analytical, and numerical approach. A dedicated test bench was designed and constructed to enable controlled measurements of thrust and power under static conditions...
Development and Validation of an Innovative Acoustic Test Stand for AAM-Drone Propeller
Valentin Bauchinger, 2025 - tuwien.at
The field of application for drones has expanded significantly in recent years. There is an increasing level of interest for those aerial vehicles, particularly within the retail sector, due to the rising market trend towards delivery drones for parcel shipment...
Propulsion Rig: A multirotor performance measurement test platform
Guy Hasewinkel and Arnold Pretorius, 2025 - matec-conferences.org
Off-the-shelf multirotor propulsion system components can produce uncertain static and dynamic performance. Commercially, solutions exist to characterise the inexact performance of the propulsion system, yet they are prohibitively expensive...
Predictive modeling of BLDC motor performance in UAV systems using ensemble learning
Ushaben Patel, Ajit Kumar and Jagat Jyoti Rath, 2025 - sagepub.com
Accurate prediction of thrust and torque is essential for optimizing the performance, energy efficiency, and control of brushless direct current (BLDC) motors in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)...
Investigation of Passively Variable Pitch Blades with Ranging Pivot Locations on Rotor Load Imbalance
Karunakalage Karunaratne, Giulia Mandarano, Fei Fei Webster and Abdulghani Mohamed, 2025 - AIAA.org
A significant lift imbalance occurs between the incoming and receding blade of air taxis in hover mode during forward flight. Such a phenomenon leads to increased vibrations in the system and subsequent reduced efficiency. The issue is most visible in fixed-pitch propeller designs commonly featured in large scale passenger transport rotary aircraft...
2024
Analysis of Small-Scale Propeller Performance: Insight into RPM, Free Stream Velocity and Efficiency
Ali Akber Mollick, 2024 - proquest.com
The purpose of this work is to experimentally investigate the performance of small-scale propellers at various angular and freestream velocities. The need for precise small-scale propeller performance data is critical in the ever-expanding world of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs)...
Urban Air Mobility Guidance with Panel Method: Experimental Evaluation Under Wind Disturbances
Zeynep Bilgin, Ilkay Yavrucuk, and Murak Bronz, 2024 - AIAA.org
In this paper, a nature-inspired guidance algorithm based on the panel method is proposed. The panel method is a numerical tool borrowed from the aerodynamics domain to calculate the potential field of a fluid flow around arbitrarily shaped objects...
Wind tunnel testing of wind turbine and wind farm control strategies for active power regulation
J. Gonzalez Silva, D. van der Hoek, R. Ferrari, and J. W. van Wingerden, 2024 - AIP.org
Wind energy has emerged as a prominent alternative energy source, harvesting energy through turbines to contribute sustainably to the electricity grid. Effective control of these turbines is crucial for regulating power generation, with wind farm control strategies geared toward maximizing on-demand energy generation.
Investigation of the Performance Characteristics of Unequal Co-Axial Rotors
Max Miles and Stephen D. Prior, 2024 - preprints.org
Co-axial rotors are a well understood propulsion method, which are especially practical for large Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), due to their increased thrust without changing the vehicle footprint. However, for co-axial systems with varying propeller diameters between the two disks, available research is more limited...
Assessing wind impact on semi-autonomous drone landings for in-contact power-line inspection
Gendron, Étienne, Marc-Antoine Leclerc, Samuel Hovington, Étienne Perron, David Rancourt, Alexis Lussier-Desbiens, Philippe Hamelin, and Alexandre Girard, 2024 - cdnsciencepub.com
In recent years, the use of inspection drones has become increasingly popular for high-voltage electric cable inspections due to their efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and ability to access hard-to-reach areas. However, safely landing drones on power lines, especially under windy conditions, remains a significant challenge.
Exploring Vibrations of UAV Propellers: A Preliminary Study for Characterization and Fault Detection
Karel Hylmar, Daniel Urban, and Vladimir Socha, 2024 - IEEE.org
The propulsion systems of unmanned aircraft such as multicopters are very vulnerable to any kind of damage. Thus, the presented study introduces the possibility of using vibration sensing to determine the condition of the rotating propeller to detect possible damage or contamination...
Aerodynamic and Aeroacoustic Analysis of Looped Propeller Blades
Justin Du plessis and Abdessalem Bouferrouk, 2024 - AIAA.org
This paper investigates the potential of looped propeller blades to reduce aerodynamic noise through the diminution of blade tip-vortex interactions. Flow simulations were performed in ANSYS Fluent using high-fidelity LES combined with the Ffowcs William-Hawkings model to evaluate the acoustics...
Exploring Small Scale propeller performance at low advance ratios and low reynolds number
Ali Akber Mollick, Clement C. Tang, and Forrest Ames, 2024 - researchgate.com
The performance of small-scale propellers were experimentally measured at low advance ratios and Reynolds numbers. The propeller diameters range from 14 to 19 inches, with all propeller having the same pitch of 12...
Validation of Wind Wall Suitability for Evaluating Characteristics of UA Propulsion Systems.
Urban, Daniel, Karel Hylmar, and Stanislav Kušmírek, 2024 - IEEE.org
The subject of this paper is validating the applicability of a wind wall as opposed to a wind tunnel in testing the performance parameters of a propeller propulsion unit...
Adaptive morphing of wing and tail for stable, resilient, and energy-efficient flight of avian-inspired drones
Simon Luis Jeger, Valentin Wüest, Charbel Toumieh, and Dario Floreano, 2024 - nature.com
Avian-inspired drones feature morphing wing and tail surfaces, enhancing agility and adaptability in flight. Despite their large potential, realising their full capabilities remains challenging due to the lack of generalized control strategies accommodating their large degrees of freedom and cross-coupling effects between their control surfaces...
A Study of the Efficiency of Toroidal Propeller Designs
Andrew Alm, William Parker, Victor R. C. Gomes, Caleb H. Harris, Gabriel Troy Shrauger, Caleb Whitacre, and Dr. John E. Matsson, 2024 - ASEE.org
Over the past few years, drones have become increasingly popular due to the variety of tasks that they are able to perform. However, one hindrance to the increase in commercial drone utilization is noise generated by the vortices coming off the propellers...
An experimental investigation of µUAV rotor blade tip vortices through high spatial resolution PIV
Giosuè Longobardo1, Tommaso Astarita1, and Fabrizio De Gregorio, 2024 - researchgate.net
The interest for μUAVs platforms with VTOL capabilities dramatically rose over the last decade due to the fast paced advancements in electronics and control. However, the vortical structures shedded from the rotary wings -and their interaction-, which are responsible for high power usage and high noise level emissions, are yet to be fully understood. In this work, an experimental PIV campaign was conducted on a commercially available propeller with a 230mm diameter...
2023
On the scalability of experimentally determined aerodynamic model for model-based navigation on a delta-wing UAV
P. Longobardi and J. Skaloud, 2023 - IEEE.org
Model-based navigation is a promising approach for autonomous navigation of small drones in challenging conditions such as GNSS denied flight scenarios. However, the lack of analysis of aerodynamic model structure for model-based navigation applications on delta-wing UAVs, characterized by a reduced number of control surfaces, has hindered its practical implementation...
Wind Tunnel Characterization of a Delta-Wing UAV for Model-Based Navigation
Pasquale Longobardi, Guillaume Bonneau, and Jan Skaloud, 2023 - epfl.ch
This paper presents an experimental procedure for aerodynamic characterization of a delta-wing UAV for model-based navigation applications. We report the design of experiments, aimed to maximize aerodynamic coefficients observability while meeting time constraints requirements, as well as the significance of secondary aerodynamic influences...
Boundary layer tuning using PIV data in an open jet multi-fan facility for ground-effect research
Cyprien de Sepibus and Flavio Noca, 2023 - calstate.edu
A finite-span wing is tested for ground-effect aerodynamics in a multi-fan open jet facility over a stationary ground. A multi-fan facility enables a fine control of the ground boundary layer morphology through a suitable modulation of each individual fan speeds.
Thermal Analysis of Air-Cooled Motor for UAV Using Numerical and Experimental Methods
Jae-Beom Kang, Ji-Young Lee, Tung Nguyen, Ji-Heon Lee, and Hyeong-Jin Kim, 2023 - IEEE.org
This paper deals with the thermal analysis of air-cooled motor for UAV using numerical and experimental methods considering the structures in which the motor is attached to the UAV...
Unmanned aircraft propulsion system suitable for operations within spatially limited areas
Daniel Urban, Karel Hylmar, Stanislav Kusmirek, Lenka Hanakova, and Vladimir Socha, 2023 - IEEE.org
The subject of this research is the development of ducted propulsion systems as replacements for traditional propeller propulsion systems intended for unmanned aircraft (UA). With the increasing number of operating UA and level of their automation, new possibilities for using UA in a number of applications are emerging...
Identification of an Electric UAV Propulsion System in Icing Conditions
Bogdan Løw-Hansen, Nicolas C. Müller, Erlend M. Coates, Tor Arne Johansen, Richard Hann, 2023 - sae.org
In-flight atmospheric icing is a severe hazard for propeller-driven unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can lead to issues ranging from reduced flight performance to unacceptable loss of lift and control...
NetherDrone: a tethered and ducted propulsion multirotor drone for complex underground mining stope inspections
Marc-Antoine Leclerc, John Bass, Mathieu Labbé, David Dozois, Jonathan Delisle, David Rancourt, and Alexis Lussier Desbiens, 2023 - cdnsciencepub.com
Underground stope mapping is crucial to evaluate the quantity of blasted rock and the site integrity. In recent years, lidar-equipped drones have been used to map stopes with higher precision and without blind spots...
Use of Variable Pitch Propeller to Increase Efficiency of Small-Scale Unmanned Aerial Systems
Alejandro Echanove, Evan Kaullen, Alexandru Crisan, Sam Leib, Reno Marino, and Sarah Stobb, 2023 - AIAA.org
Intrinsically Safe Drone Propulsion System for Underground Coal Mining Applications: Computational and Experimental Studies
2022
Modeling and validation of electric multirotor unmanned aerial vehicle system energy dynamics
Investigation of Rotor Efficiency with Varying Rotor Pitch Angle for a Coaxial Drone
Design of Rotary Wings with Passive Mitigation of Coherent Tip Vortex Roll-Up
Experimental and Numerical Study of Novel Coanda-Based Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Aerodynamic Analysis of V-Shaped Flight Formation of Flapping-Wing Drones: Analytical and Experimental Studies
A computational and experimental study on aerodynamics of motor-driven propellers using thrust stand and rotating cup anemometer
What is A Wireless UAV? a design blueprint for 6G flying wireless nodes
The influence of rotor downwash on spray distribution under a quadrotor unmanned aerial system
Applying an Icing Wind Tunnel for Drone Propeller Research, Validation of New Measurement Instrument
การ พัฒนา ระบบ ควบคุม การ บิน สำหรับ อากาศยาน ไร้ คน ขับ แบบ ปรับ เอียง ใบพัด ได้ ใน ช่วง การ บิน เปลี่ยน เฟส
Low-Cost Quadrotor Micro-Aerial Vehicle
Lifting Line Framework for Optimization of Rotary Wing Systems
2021
Carlos Barrera
March 30, 2026
Submission – Latest InFlow Generation – State of the Art Novel Top Tech: ·1-Gearturbine Reaction Turbine Rotary Turbo, ·2-Imploturbocompressor Impulse Turbine 1 Compression Step:
·1-Gearturbine: Reaction Turbine, ·Rotary-Turbo, Similar System of the Aeolipile ·Heron Steam Device from 10-70 AD, ·With Retrodynamic = DextroGiro/RPM VS LevoGiro/InFlow, + ·Ying Yang Power Type, ·Non Waste Parasitic Looses,
·2-Imploturbocompressor: Impulse Turbine, ·Implo-Ducted, One Moving Part System Excellence Design, ·InFlow Goes from Macro to Micro, ·One Compression Step, ·Same Hurricane Satellite View.
http://stateoftheartnovelinflowtech.blogspot.com
https://padlet.com/gearturbine/un2slbar3s94