Electrical Drive of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle External Characteristics Determining by the Rotating “Impeller” Method

Аuthors

Artamonov B. L.^*, Lukhanin V. O.^**

Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University), 4, Volokolamskoe shosse, Moscow, А-80, GSP-3, 125993, Russia

*e-mail: k102@mai.ru; abl-6124554@yandex.ru
**e-mail: luhanin-vladimir96@mail.ru

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles of various schemes with electric propellers have found wide application, both in the civil and military spheres. The ready-made electric motors with fixed-pitch propellers mounted on them, controlled by speed, are employed as a rule in the structure of such devices. The issue of the optimal combination of the electric motor parameters and the propeller blades geometry is not being considered as usual while the aircraft structure development, since the excess power of the electric drive ensures the required flight characteristics. Energy consumption per unit of the effective work minimization is necessary the electrically driven aircraft flight performance enhancing. This is being achieved by the optimal combination of the propeller and the electric motor operating modes in a given flight mode, which appears possible when selecting the parameters of the propeller with regard to the electric motor characteristics. The authors revealed that these electric motor characteristics should be obtained experimentally, since they are being determined by the motor design parameters and resistance of the controller employed in the motor control system. The article proposes employing the rotating “impeller” method to obtain the speed-torque characteristics of the electric motor, which aerodynamic characteristics should be obtained in advance either experimentally or computationally. An analytical expression for the “impeller” torque coefficient computing depending on the relative sizes of the loading discs, mounting rods and their number was derived. A method for determining coefficients included into the mathematical model of the electric motor external characteristics, based on the results of the tests with an “impeller” mounted on its shaft in three steady-state operating modes without measuring torque, is described. The proposed mathematical model based on the physical principles of the electric motor operation is verified by the results of the bench tests at various speeds, which are stipulated by the external load intensity. The authors propose measuring only the engine rotations, obtained at the specified input voltage to evaluate consumed energy and the torque value at the motor shaft under conditions of electric motor real operation. The same measuring method is advisable for application while full-scale electrically driven aircraft to generate a signal on the propulsion unit operation to the control system. It is advisable to use the same measurement method on full-scale electric-powered aircraft to generate a signal to the control system about the current operating mode of the propeller group.

Keywords:

DC motor, external characteristic, electric motor mathematical model, mathematical model identification

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