PROPELLER/FAN DESIGN
Example of DFDC Output
The 3D Print Air propeller design system uses a custom algorithm made in Python to provide a genetic-type algorithm, specialized for aeronautical design. The software creates an artificial intelligence that links the functions of X-foil, DFDC, X-rotor, and Q-prop into one bundle, that is able manipulate discrete blade inputs in a much more p powerful way than the original programs themselves allow.
A uniform input language is used for all blade design systems that, can vary not only the blade plan-form and angle of attack, but also the airfoil, blade count, blade radius, hub starting point, rpm, and normal airspeed, and altitude. All designs can consider dozens of flight conditions for each design generation, and a fitness function judges the suitability of each output, so the outputs can be integrated, or weighted in a fashion that suits any special design case.
Having all these tools at our disposal makes our design capability extremely flexible, and custom tools can be made easily with our experience.
DFDC is a great solution that allows complicated ducting design . Shaft geometry, and drag objects can be considered, as well as tip gaps. This tool can also consider stator blades, and counter rotating solutions as well, which is extremely useful. For now, this tool can only be used to consider ducted fan solutions.
X-rotor can switch between ducted fan and propeller design. Although it can do both, it lacks the detailed duct design tools DFDC has, and it doesn’t have the electric motor inputs that Q-prop has. It is capable of windmill design, but not considering stator blades, on contra-rotating configurations. Although, the ability to manually indicated where the blade wake falls in this tool makes the application of the tool very powerful for special case blades. X-rotor also be use to estimate sound. The program assumes the blades are mounted on the nose of a traditional cantilever monoplane. Estimates of sound that will be produced can be estimated from any X Y Z coordinate desired, reference from the flying object.
Q-prop is meant for use with propeller and windmills, it is most suited to drone design because of its detail motor input, which can consider resistance, kv, and voltage a brushless motor is running at. Although Q-prop is best suited for electric motors, simple input can be substituted if a gas motor is favored. This is the only tool that can natively output electric voltage and amperage required, whereas the other propeller design tools only deal with shaft power. Q-prop cannot handle ducted blade design, or contra-rotating designs natively
X-foil is the most classic and dependable airfoil tool available, and is the most consistent freely available predictor of complicated drag bubble behavior. 3D Printair has compiled and repaired errors in the coordinate data on the commonly available ~1600 airfoil available from sites like www.airfoiltools.com and the Illinois University database so that all airfoils are in correct “Drela” format and usable in X foil. All airfoils have been rung through a seven dimensional matrix that includes, Mach, Reynolds, angle of attack, thickness to chord, lift to drag, coefficient of lift, and trailing edge thicknesses. This creates a map with over a quarter of a million unique flight conditions, where the best available common airfoil solution is known for each point, and can be used to start a base design. All airfoils are available in a custom spline format as well as their original XY coordinate system. This allows derivations to be considered live during the design process in X-rotor, Q-prop, and DFDC. Custom airfoil solutions can be design with up to 24 individual design points, which can easily mimic all but the crude KF airfoils designs. A powerful add on to X-foil allows instant return of drag polar data in incredibly fine 0.05 angle increments, at any Mach and Reynolds Number. The powerful tool automatically finds the minimum lift coefficient and stall point, and can handle more data than X-foil can traditionally. The entire raw data can be used, as well as translated into any format that DFDC, X-rotor, or Q-prop can use by default. This meticulous data sorting job is capable of being executed in parallel. With an extensive library, created over the past two-years, and smooth translation of data between all tools,
3D Printair tools can do the job of a dozen aeronautical engineers with decades of experience, without ever missing an aeronautical solution that might not have been explored otherwise