Experimental Model of an Electric Power Plant for Small UAV's Automatic Control Systems

An experimental technique of definition of the main characteristics of a small-sized UAV electric power plant, necessary for dynamic system modeling, is proposed. The thrust, the rotational speed and the aerodynamic moment of the propeller, depending on the consumed power of the engine and the speed of the incoming flow is considered, as well as power and efficiency of the engine. In order to determine the above mentioned characteristics, an experimental approach using a wind tunnel to simulate the incident flow, and strain gauge devices to measure the propeller thrust and torque, is proposed. To register the power, consumed by the engine, a special wattmeter, based on the use of a microcontroller, a current sensor and a voltage divider, has been developed. The method is demonstrated on studying of the required characteristics of a small-sized UAV electric power plant, including a three-phase electric motor and a two-blade propeller. Experimental measurements of thrust, propeller torque and engine shaft speed were carried out at the corresponding power consumption of the engine, without an incident flow and with it. As a result, primary and secondary dependencies, required for the construction of an automatic control system for the power plant are obtained.