Exploring the potential of toroidal propellers: A comprehensive study on design, optimization, and experimental validation

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive framework for the design and optimization of toroidal propellers as a high thrust, low noise signature propeller for drones. A numerical framework is developed in OpenFOAM to select a promising baseline toroidal concept. A design of experiment methodology with response surface models is employed to optimize key geometric parameters, with a sensitivity analysis quantifying their influence on thrust, torque, and noise. The optimized design achieves a 35% increase in thrust and an 11% reduction in overall sound pressure levels compared to a conventional propeller at a given RPM. Aeroacoustic analysis supported the propeller’s suitability for noise-sensitive missions. The final design is fabricated via stereolithography and experimentally tested, with results closely matching numerical calculations.