Abstract
The development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) is increasing due to the demand from engineering applications. The important factor in the UAV technology is an efficient propulsion system. Most of the UAV propulsion system requires a Brushless DC (BLDC) motor as the prime mover due to the fact that it can operate at high speeds, with a lightweight mass and high efficiency. In order to minimize the budget for constructing the UAV, BLDC motor can be designed with material available in local market. However, it requires detail analysis and laboratory testing to make sure the quality of the BLDC motor. In this study, an outrunner rotor BLDC motor was designed for fixed-wing UAV applications. The BLDC motor testing revealed a torque characteristic inversely proportional to speed. In this research, the maximum power of the motor was 376 W when the torque was 0.49 Nm, and the highest motor efficiency was 91% at 309 W. A BLDC motor prototype was also implemented as an electric propulsion system for a fixed-wing UAV, with a mass of 1351 g and connected to an APC 14 × 7 propeller. The motor was able to generate a thrust of 1500 g, resulting in a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1.1.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1211-1219 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | ICIC Express Letters |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Nov 2024 |
Keywords
- BLDC motor
- High RPM
- Outrunner
- UAV