Wind Tunnel Test Of Two Electrical Lift Thrust Units To Assess Static And Dynamic Loads

Abstract

The aeronautical community is showing increasing interest in innovative multi-propeller electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft for Advanced Air Mobility. This paper aims to contribute to the development of new methodologies and tools for assisting in the design of such aircraft from the early stages of their design. Specifically, the paper focuses on developing an experimental wind tunnel test rig to evaluate the static and dynamic loads produced by two electric Lift Thrust Units (eLTUs) under different flight conditions. The test rig measures all six static and dynamic load components in the fixed reference frame produced by each LTU while controlling the rotor speed. The experimental measurement data are correlated with an aeroelastic numerical model and used to explore the aerodynamic and structural interactions of the two LTUs. The introduction of an elastic support, at the base of the LTUs, was shown to be effective in improving the dynamic loads’ corre-lation.