The first advanced research and development topic our group covered dealt with differing propeller configurations and their impact on Energy vs. Time and Energy vs. Distance.
A single push propeller setup offered lower energy consumption but was negated when needing to move the whole AEV, however the motors seemed to prefer beginning spinning this direction for less energy consumption compared to the setup below.
A single puller propeller setup offered similar results to the first single propeller setup.
A pull-push propeller setup offered enhanced energy vs. power relations. Coding became a bit more complicated but easy to implement. More energy was needed, however the AEV was much more responsive due to the power output for the propellers.
A push-pull propeller setup offered similar results compared to the above setup, although power consumption increased for less efficiency.
The base AEV motor setup was tested as well. Using the data collected for the pusher propeller and combining two of them, the power offered with the energy consumed was tested to be the best setup for the team’s AEV. The pusher propeller setup was implemented in the final design(s).
Takeaways
Having a double motor/double propeller setup greatly increased the response time for moving and stopping the AEV, which is helpful in reducing energy expended. Although another engine increases energy consumption, less power overall is need per engine to move the AEV to speeds that will get it to move compared to single engine use.