Thrust modelling for a small UAV Available to Purchase

A fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based flying laboratory is currently developed in the Aerospace Engineering Program, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB). This laboratory will be used as the part of the teaching-learning process, especially in the flight mechanics subjects. The development process itself has reached the second phase, when the mathematical model of the flying laboratory is developed. This paper specifically discusses about the development of thrust model of a small UAV, especially Sky Surfer 1400X8, by using wind tunnel test. Wind tunnel test is conducted in a closed loop wind tunnel with 40 cm × 40 cm rectangular test section and length of 1 m, while the measurement is conducted using motor test bench developed in-house. From the test, thrust and torque data from the UAV propulsion system can be obtained, including its power and propulsion efficiency data. The results of the test show that the thrust is slightly decreasing because of the increase of airspeed, while the value of the torque is relatively constant. The maximum propulsion efficiency happens in the region of approximately 75% throttle level, while the maximum thrust is measured at the airspeed of 0 to 5 m/s and 100% throttle with the value of 5.5 N.