Experimental study on the aerodynamic performance of the bionic rotor blades with non-smooth surface

The microstructure on shark skin is known to have a drag-reducing effect. But this design has rarely been used to reduce the air resistance of the blades. Based on bionic non-smooth theory and the microstructural features of shark skin, this paper investigates the aerodynamic performance of a rotor used in an unmanned-aerial vehicle (UAV) by arranging bionic non-smooth structural arrays on its upper surface. In this paper, four bionic rotor models were designed with different shapes and orientations, and the three bionic rotor models were selected by numerical simulation and compared with the original rotor for actual experimental tests. In the test, it was found that the bionic rotor blade with transverse grooves improved lift by 5.9% and reduced torque by 1.8% compared to the original blade. This work provides an effective way to improve the aerodynamic performance of rotor blades and increase the endurance of UAVs.