Wind Tunnel Performance Tests of the Propellers with Different Pitch for the Electric Propulsion System.

The geometry of a propeller is closely related to its aerodynamic performance. One of the geometric parameters of a propeller is pitch. This parameter determines the distance by which the propeller moves forward during one revolution. The challenge is to select a propeller geometry for electric propulsion in order to achieve the best possible performance. This paper presents the experimental results of the aerodynamic performance of the set of propellers with different pitch values. The tests were performed in a closed-circuit subsonic wind tunnel using a six-component force balance. The analyzed propellers were 12-inch diameter twin-blade propellers that were driven by a BLDC (brushless direct current) electric motor. The tests were performed under forced airflow conditions. The thrust and torque produced by the propeller were measured using a strain gauge. The analysis was performed for different values of the advance ratio which is the ratio of freestream fluid speed to propeller tip speed. Additionally, a set of electrical parameters was recorded using the created measurement system. The propeller performance was evaluated by a dimensional analysis. This method enables calculation of dimensionless coefficients which are useful for comparing performance data for propellers.

Measurements of Aerodynamic Interference of a Hybrid Aircraft with Multirotor Propulsion.

This article deals with the phenomenon of aerodynamic interference occurring in the innovative hybrid system of multirotor aircraft propulsion. The approach to aerodynamics requires a determination of the impact of active sources of lift and thrust upon the aircraft aerodynamic characteristics. The hybrid propulsion unit, composed of a conventional multirotor source of thrust as well as lift in the form of the main rotor and a pusher, was equipped with an additional propeller drive unit. The tests were conducted in a continuous-flow low speed wind tunnel with an open measuring space, 1.5 m in diameter and 2.0 m long. Force testing made it possible to develop aerodynamic characteristics as well as defining aerodynamic characteristics and defining the field of speed for the considered design configurations. Our investigations enabled us to analyze the results in terms of a mutual impact of particular components of the research object and the area of impact of active elements present in a common flow.

Multifractal and statistical analyses of heat release fluctuations in a spark ignition engine.

Using multifractal and statistical analyses, we have investigated the complex dynamics of cycle-to-cycle heat release variations in a spark ignition engine. Three different values of the spark advance angle (Delta beta) are examined. The multifractal complexity is characterized by the singularity spectrum of the heat release time series in terms of the Holder exponent. The broadness of the singularity spectrum gives a measure of the degree of mutifractality or complexity of the time series. The broader the spectrum, the richer and more complex is the structure with a higher degree of multifractality. Using this broadness measure, the complexity in heat release variations is compared for the three spark advance angles (SAAs). Our results reveal that the heat release data are most complex for Delta beta=30 degrees followed in order by Delta beta=15 degrees and 5 degrees. In other words, the complexity increases with increasing SAA. In addition, we found that for all the SAAs considered, the heat release fluctuations behave like an antipersistent or a negatively correlated process, becoming more antipersistent with decreasing SAA. We have also performed a statistical analysis of the heat release variations by calculating the kurtosis of their probability density functions (pdfs). It is found that for the smallest SAA considered, Delta beta=5 degrees, the pdf is nearly Gaussian with a kurtosis of 3.42. As the value of the SAA increases, the pdf deviates from a Gaussian distribution and tends to be more peaked with larger values of kurtosis. In particular, the kurtosis has values of 3.94 and 6.69, for Delta beta=15 degrees and 30 degrees, respectively. A non-Gaussian density function with kurtosis in excess of 3 is indicative of intermittency. A larger value of kurtosis implies a higher degree of intermittency.