Компактний стенд для тестування одиночних гвинтів міні- та мікро- безпілотних літальних апаратів

This paper presents the development of a stand for the experimental testing of single propellers designed for mini- and micro-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Due to the widespread use of small drones in civil, scientific, and defense applications, the aerodynamic and energy characteristics of propellers, which significantly affect flight efficiency, control stability, and battery life, must be accurately determined. This study aimed to create a compact experimental stand with affordable components that can record the main parameters – thrust, current, voltage – and ensure sufficient accuracy and reproducibility of the results. The test bench is built using a 3D-printed polymer frame, which ensures the structure’s lightness and rigidity. A brushless electric motor is used as the motor, and a strain gauge, a current shunt, and a voltage sensor are used for measurements. A microcontroller reads the data and displays it in real time, which simplifies analysis and calibration. A series of experiments were conducted with propellers of three diameters (7, 8, and 10 inches), during which the dependence of thrust and current on the number of revolutions was recorded. The 8-inch propeller demonstrated the optimal thrust-to-power consumption ratio, which is useful for choosing a propeller in the design of mini-UAVs. The repeatability of the results for the main parameters was no more than 5%, indicating the measuring system’s reliability. A comparative analysis with similar developments allows us to conclude that the proposed design combines the following important features: simplicity, accessibility, modularity, and sufficient accuracy. Thus, the testbed can be effectively used in research laboratories, in educational processes, and in the design and debugging of mini- and micro-UAVs. Future development prospects include expanding the functionality by integrating speed, temperature, and vibration sensors and creating a system with an adjustable blade angle of attack for studying variable-pitch propellers.