Design and Experimental Evaluation of a Tilt-Angle Propeller Test Rig for Vertical Thrust Characterisation of the TRQ-1 Quadcopter

Noor Iswadi Ismail; Mahamad Hisyam Mahamad Basri; Muhammad Amirul Hakim Amir; Muhammad Arif Ab Hamid Pahmi; Rosniza Rabilah; Mohd Mahadzir Mohammud @ Mahmood

doi:10.24191/jaeds.v5i2.126

Authors

Noor Iswadi Ismail Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Permatang Pauh, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Mahamad Hisyam Mahamad Basri Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Permatang Pauh, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Muhammad Amirul Hakim Amir Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Permatang Pauh, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Muhammad Arif Ab Hamid Pahmi Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Permatang Pauh, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Rosniza Rabilah Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Permatang Pauh, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Mohd Mahadzir Mohammud @ Mahmood Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Permatang Pauh, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24191/jaeds.v5i2.126

Keywords:

Tilt-Angle Propeller, Vertical Thrust Measurement, Quadcopter Aerodynamics, Experimental Test Rig, Thrust Vectoring Mechanism

Abstract

This study presents the design and experimental evaluation of a custom-built test rig that was specially developed for vertical thrust measurement of the TRQ-1 quadcopter prototype, The test rig was designed to replicate the TRQ-1's tilt mechanism. The custom-built test rig enables accurate and repeatable thrust measurements under varying tilt-angles. In this work, a series of experiments were conducted using an APC 10×5 propeller to quantify vertical thrust at 0°, +15°, and -15° tilt-angles across a range of rotational speeds starting from 1500 RPM up to a maximum of 5500 RPM. Validation against available manufacturer thrust data confirmed the rig's measurement accuracy, and deviations from manufacturer thrust data were generally within ±5%, with a maximum deviation of 7.12% at low RPM (2010) and minimum deviation of 1.33% at higher RPM (3060–5010). These values confirmed the accuracy of the rig within acceptable engineering tolerances. The results indicated that a +15° forward tilt configuration consistently reduces vertical thrust due to thrust vector redirection. Meanwhile, the -15° rearward tilt configuration yielded a modest increase in vertical thrust, especially at lower RPMs range. These findings are consistent with aerodynamic theory, which highlights the trade-off between thrust vectoring for manoeuvrability and vertical lift performance. The proposed test rig demonstrates reliable performance and provides a consistent tool to evaluate the aerodynamic behaviour of tilt-propeller quadcopter configurations.

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