Propeller Modification with Groove Structure on Thrust Performance

This study includes an investigation into the application of grooves in drone propellers that inspired from the structure of a bird's wing. The designed propeller involves the application of grooves at angles of 30, 45 and 60 degrees. Main purpose of using biomimetic design is to determine whether it is effective in improving thrust performance by directing the flow to the propeller blade through the grooves. Experimental investigation of the effects of these grooves on the propeller-engine thrust and the underlying causes of these effects were tried to be presented experimentally with TiO2 based surface oil imaging technique. From the experimental results, the highest thrust value was obtained for the modified prop-60⁰ model compared to the base propeller. Thrust measurements were measured at various rmp/V values. The maximum increase in thrust improvement is reached when the engine driven by 25% nominal power.