An Initial Investigation on RPM-Controlled Rotor Performance Characteristics for a UAM Multirotor Concept Vehicle by Varying Blade Pitch Angle Distribution

Abstract

The Medical Personnel Deployment Vehicle (MPDV) is a multirotor UAM concept, initially developed within the scope of the DLR project URBAN-Rescue for fast air transport of an Emergency Physician (EP) to the dispatched area in the course of first line emergency services. The determined design mission imposes two challenges on the rpm-controlled main rotors: first, to deliver an efficient hover performance; second, to prevent the blade stall at the advancing rotor side in cruise. An optimal blade pitch angle distribution plays a key role in achieving these challenges. This study investigates the impact of the blade pitch angle distribution on the MPDV main rotor performance. Five blade variants are selected upon varying the local blade pitch angles for hover and high-speed cruise, taken as design points. The selected blade variants are then compared in a wider flight speed range.