Date of Award

Fall 12-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Program/Concentration

Aerospace Engineering

Committee Director

Drew Landman

Committee Member

Colin Britcher

Committee Member

Thomas Alberts

Abstract

A single-bladed propeller was designed to determine its efficacy in increasing efficiency of quadplane aircraft in the cruise configuration while still providing sufficient vertical lift for the vertical takeoff portion of flight. Aerodynamic theory predicts higher efficiency for single-blade propellers, resulting in a lower power requirement. A counter-weighted single-blade was modeled after a 10x5 model aircraft propeller used in small unmanned vehicles with a steel counterweight to balance centrifugal forces. The propeller was tested in the ODU wind tunnel to determine performance at various Advance Ratios (J). The research suggests that single-blade propellers show comparable performance compared to two-bladed propellers in the climb phase and reduced drag in the forward, or cruise, phase of flight, leading to an increase in range, endurance and speed for Quadplane aircraft.

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In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/xecc-s980

ISBN

9798276041506

Additional Files
05NOV25.zip (642 kB)
Final Test Wind Tunnel Data Files
28OCT25.zip (380 kB)
Prototype Test Wind Tunnel Data Files
02OCT251Blade.zip (31 kB)
2 Blade Test Wind Tunnel Data Files
propdata.zip (1228 kB)
Static Stand Results
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