%0 Journal Article
%T Experimental study of a ducted contra
%A Shuanghou Deng
%A Zongliang Ren
%J Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
%@ 2041-3025
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/0954410017731441
%X This study explores the aerodynamic characteristics of a ducted contra-rotating lift fan for vertical/short takeoff and landing application by means of force, pressure, and flow field measurements. The effect of rotating frequency and contra-locomotion on the force generation was examined using a miniature six-component force sensor. Additionally, for the sake of considering the ground effect, the flow field at the exit was investigated using high-response pressure measurement. Results revealed that the lift shows a quadratic generation trend on increasing the r/min where the inherent unsteady flow contradicts the conventional quasi-steady model of propeller. The contra-rotating mechanism can significantly augment the lift while still being lower than double single rotors. The unsteadiness of the contra-rotating rotors is quite obvious where two high-pressure regions are revealed and rotate. When the lift fan approaches the ground, the lift will be augmented significantly due to the surplus of the wake jet
%K Contra-rotating
%K duct unmanned aerial vehicle
%K experiment
%K ground effect
%K vertical/short takeoff and landing
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0954410017731441