Propellor Configurations

The propellor configuation testing tested the difference between four different propellor configurations that were chosen by the division. Each propellor configuration method was tested to see how much time it would take to go a set distance and each presented slightly different results. The code for the different braking methods can be examined here.

What are you current AEV findings?

The different propellor configurations that were chosen by Division J were round slant up, round flat, round slant down, and square slant. It was found that the square slant was the least effective configuration since there was no movement. The other three configurations had similar times that were around 4 seconds. Round slant down configuration has slightly higher times with one being 4.18seconds but it is still around the ballpark of the others.

Images of propellor configurations on AEV:

How does the research support these findings?

Throughout the different trials with the different propellor configurations, the following results were found:

Table 1: Trials between difference configurations

Figures 1, 2, and 3 show how the time to travel a given distance varied between each trial. The average time for each configuration is also outlined.
Figure 1: Round Slant Up Time to go Distance vs Trials
Figure 2: Round Flat Time to go Distance vs Trials
Figure 3: Round Slant Down Time to go Distance vs Trials

This research thus shows the difference between each configuration between trials. The three configurations are similar, however the square propellor presents a major difference in Table 1. It resulted in no movement, thus there was no graph to be shown. Figure 1 shows the time increased with each trial while Figure 2 shows that the time decreased was the trials increased. Lastly, Figure 3 has an inconsistent line with no pattern. All three averages are within 0.15 seconds of each other, showing there wouldn’t be a huge difference between configurations, however, every little bit counts so the team decided to pursue the Round Flat propellor configura

How does/will this make your AEV more marketable?

In aR&D 2, finding a proper propellor configuration will add to efficiency, thus making the vehicle faster and more marketable. If the vehicle had a propellor that didn’t present movement, then the vehicle would be useless. Movement is an important part of this project so it is important to ensure that the division will do all it can to have the best movement possible. Between the three configurations that had movement, there wouldn’t be a huge difference because the times are so close.