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Real-World Thrust Testing

A project log for GimbalBot

Gimbaled thrusters, aerospace-grade adhesives, carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers, and inertial measurement units. This is a space project!

zakqwyzakqwy 05/07/2014 at 19:412 Comments

I think it's time for some science experiments. As described in detail by Robert W. Deters and Michael S. Selig in their 2008 conference paper on props (http://aerospace.illinois.edu/m-selig/pubs/DetersSelig-2008-AIAA-2008-6246-MicroProps.pdf), it's tough to come by good data in the RC world. The static thrust calculator I found seems legit, but... I need real world data that I can trust. Also, as mentioned in the comments for the previous project log, coaxial contra-rotating propellers are a pretty tough aerodynamic problem to solve on paper. 

Since the world loves pictures, here are a few from Forrest Frantz' great thread on copter design (http://diydrones.com/forum/topics/build-your-own-copter-part-ii):

I will not be testing anywhere near that many combinations unless the RC motor and propeller delivery truck happens to break down in my front yard. In any case, here are my objectives for this minor but somewhat interesting tangent:

Just a brief post for now. I'll throw together a basic sketch with requirements for the rig at some point and get into detail on its construction. Hint: it's going to be cheap.

Discussions

Michael O'Brien wrote 05/07/2014 at 21:35 point
What are you using to measure static thrust? What's your PWM source?Props are always a fun to play with ;)

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zakqwy wrote 05/07/2014 at 22:21 point
I plan to use off-the-shelf commercial ESCs from the RC world, since they're tiny and cheap (and will likely end up in the final device for these reasons). PWM source for these controllers will probably be an Arduino for now, since they're easy to get set up quickly. For thrust measurement I'm going to rig up a balance that rotates around a horizontal axis; the prop will thrust downward, and I'll measure the resulting thrust with a kitchen scale I already own. I'll probably build in some kind of counterweight system to offset the weight of the prop/motor assembly. Aiming for cheap but durable, so I'll probably use extruded aluminum stock for the arm, skateboard bearings for the pivot, and wood scraps from my basement for the rigid frame.

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