Experimental assessment of the complex aerodynamic performance of a hexacopter with single propeller failure

This work analyses the complex aerodynamic issues involved in HexC (Hexarotor with canted rotors) when a complete failure of one propeller occurs. The HexC used has the tilted rotor configuration, which gives it good maneuverability and fault tolerance. The effect of different cant angles (α) and rotational speed (Ω) on the aerodynamic performance of the HexC was evaluated. Both thrust and torque for each propeller are obtained from a test bench. Computational fluid dynamics numerical simulation was used to obtain the flow field characteristics around the propellers, and its validity is verified by comparing it with the experimental data. Experimental results show that when one propeller fails, the performance of the remaining propellers at different locations will differ. The heightened sensitivity of face-to-face configurations stems from the collapse of inflow synergy effects following single-propeller failure, where the interdependent flow acceleration mechanism between paired propellers abruptly terminates. Conversely, back–back configurations demonstrate inherent robustness through aerodynamic independence from the induced flow of a failed propeller, and beneficial release of mutual wake interference that normally generates parasitic drag during nominal operation.