PIV investigation of the influence of the power setting of a UAV helicopter rotor in hover on the flow-field geometry

The flow-field created by a UAV helicopter rotor in steady hover at low-Reynolds numbers is studied by means of particles image velocimetry (PIV). Results are shown for a three-bladed rotor configuration for different pitch angles and RPM settings. Provided is a short description of the rotor test stand and its PIV setup. Precise measurements are achieved for the velocity field and the individual vortex positioning. All results are shown in a convenient form, which allows easy comparison with similar PIV flow-field measurements. Conclusions are drawn on the influence of the power setting of the model helicopter rotor on the flow-field geometric characteristics of the studied rotor configuration.