Rapid Design Process of Shrouded Rotors for Efficient UAV Propulsion

A novel approach for the rapid design of unconventional rotor shrouds combining a rapid manufacturing approach with a high-fidelity CFD prediction tool is proposed in this work. Using 3D printing and thrust stand measurements, different shroud designs have been explored experimentally to evaluate the performance gains of propeller shrouds for multirotor vehicles with small-scale, off-the-shelf propellers. The experimental studies are complimented with 3D quasi-steady CFD simulations to gain further insights into the flow fields for unconventional shroud geometries. The framework has been demonstrated for a commercial 5-inch racing-drone propeller, featuring significant performance gains using NACA-shaped shroud profiles.