Design and Test of the Propulsion System of a Mars Quadrotor UAV

Abstract

Mars has become a hot spot in deep space exploration. New probe manner is required to investigate the planet more efficiently and flexibly. Mars aircraft is a new Mars exploration tool and the research in this field is of great significance. Quad-rotor aircraft is a key development direction of Mars aircraft research because of its simple structure, high reliability, the ability of hovering in the air and repeatable takeoff and landing. In this paper, the propulsion system, which is the most critical technology of the Mars quad-rotor UAV, is studied. When designing the propeller, the relationship between the blade inclination, rotation speed, radius and other factors on the blade lifting force is established, by using two-dimensional CFD simulation, and then the detailed structure of the propeller is designed. Based on design result, the carbon fiber propeller was manufactured and the lifting force measurement test and the load-bearing take-off test were carried out under the simulated Mars atmosphere environment. The results were consistent with the simulation analysis. This study can provide an important design basis for the development of Mars quad-rotor UAV.