City Research Online

Abstract

Bio-inspiration can be used to improve the aerodynamic performance of commercial multirotor propellers. In the present study insect wings are used as a source of inspiration and the effects of inspiration from insect’s wing shape on the propeller performance, specially this effect on parameters like thrust, torque, and propeller efficiency are investigated. Six insect species have been selected, which their scientific names are Hemiptera, Orthoptera, Neuroptera, Mantodea, Odonata and Hymenoptera and their wings are the source of inspiration for propeller. The analyses have been done using the numerical simulation of flow and the moving reference frame (MRF) method alongside the SST k-ω turbulence model. The simulations were carried out over a range of rotational speeds, varying from 4000 to 8000 rpm, for propellers with a diameter of 0.24 meters All propellers utilized the Eppler E63 airfoil. To ensure the accuracy of the present numerical simulation results, validation was done by comparing them with experimental data from the DJI Phantom-3 propeller. The results of validation showed significant agreement with the experimental data. The results indicated that the insect-inspired propellers generate higher thrust compared to conventional propellers. Additionally, for a constant thrust force, the inspired propellers exhibit lower rotational speeds. Moreover, in terms of Thrust, the Hemiptera insect-inspired propeller outperforms the DJI Phantom-3 propeller, achieving a notable average improvement of 34.182%.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited. © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal Aeronautical Society
Publisher Keywords:	Insect-Inspired, Propeller, Multi-rotor, Aerodynamic Performance, Numerical Simulations
Subjects:	T Technology > TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery T Technology > TL Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics
Departments:	School of Science & Technology School of Science & Technology > Department of Engineering
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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