A Stereo-PIV Investigation of a Quadrotor Flow Field*

According to the FAA as of January 2018, the number of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) in the skies above America has surpassed 1 million. These aircraft provide a platform that sensors can use to take data in ways never thought possible a decade ago. One such possibility is the development of a sUAS based turbulence measurement device. For a device like this to be accurate an understanding of the flow field above and below the sUAS is necessary. In this project stereo-PIV and hotwire data were taken surrounding a DJI Phantom III sUAS to quantify the effects of the propeller interaction on the flow. Experiments were conducted in Syracuse University’s Indoor Flow Lab (IFL) which is a 15’x10’x18’ quiescent room. Data were taken with the sUAS at a simulated hover with cross stream stereo-PIV planes taken both downstream and upstream, and hotwire planes were taken in a grid extending downstream. Utilizing both hotwire data and stereo-PIV results allow for an analysis of both time and space dependent turbulent quantities. These results will make it possible to make recommendations about sensor placement, filtering requirements, and assist in the validation of sUAS CFD codes.