Propeller effects on the aerodynamic performance of a quadcopter fuselage

Multi-rotor aerial vehicles have the rather short history of active usage, so many aspects of vehicle aerodynamics remain poorly investigated. One such area is the impact of propeller-generated flows on multi-rotor airframe and fuselage components. The paper studies the effects of propeller on the aerodynamic drag coefficient and the sideforce acting on the fuselage of a meteorology drone (with a spherical shape). Numerical simulations were performed using the RANS approach with a direct account for the rotor rotation. The numerical results are verified on the basis of PIV-measurements. The results indicate that the aerodynamic performance of the quadcopter fuselage depends significantly on the unsteady flow field generated by the propellers.