Development of Variable Pitch Rotor System for VTOL Drone

Abstract

As part of a bigger effort to develop a VTOL unmanned aerial vehicle, a working prototype of the thruster unit of said UAV has been developed. The thruster unit consisting of the motor and its sub systems and the rotor system. The rotor system features variable pitch rotors which are unique for this scale and application. This thesis documents the design process leading to the working prototype, with most of the design process being done within the SolidWorks CAD environment. This includes FEM analysis of vital structural parts. The thesis also documents the initial test run of the system verifying its basic functionality, dissection of the results and suggestion for improvements to the design. As part of the test process a test rig, enabling the thruster to be tested in a stationary controlled environment. The test rig also features sensors registering vital data such as torque thrust and acceleration. These data will be used by other team members for calibration of control software.