Testing Propeller Tip Modifications to Reduce Acoustic Noise Generation on a Quadcopter Propeller

If vertical lift vehicles are to operate near population centers, they must be both quiet and efficient. The goal of this research is to develop a propeller that is more efficient and generates less noise than a stock DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter propeller. Reducing the generated tip vortex was the main objective. After studying the literature, seven promising tip treatments were selected and applied to a stock DJI Phantom 2 propeller to reduce the tip vortex. Several different configurations were tested for each tip treatment to determine the rpm and required power to hold 0.7 lbf thrust, the static hover condition. For each test, operating at the hover condition, a radial traverse 1 in. behind the propeller permitted the measurement of the near field sound pressure level (SPL) to find the maximum SPL and its radial location. Several configurations tested resulted in 8–10 dBA reductions in SPL when compared to the stock propeller; however, these configurations also resulted in an unacceptable increase in the power required to achieve the desired thrust. The most promising tip treatment tested was the trailing edge (TE) notch at a radial location of 0.95 r/R with a double slot width and a double depth (DSDD). The DSDD configuration as tested reduced the SPL 7.2 dBA with an increase in power required of only 3.96% over the stock propeller. This tradeoff, while not the largest reduction in noise generation measured, had an acceptable power increase for the decrease in SPL achieved.