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Gyanendra Jha,
Jatin Kumar Singh,
Dev Kumar,
Kunal Manish Mangal,
- B.Tech. Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering, ABES Engineering College, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
- B.Tech. Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering, ABES Engineering College, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
- B.Tech. Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering, ABES Engineering College, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, ABES Engineering College, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Abstract
The quadcopter is a complex system in which propeller blades, aerodynamics, and structural behavior are tightly interlinked. Changing a small detail, such as blade angle or material, can significantly affect performance parameters like thrust and efficiency, as well as the drone’s vibrations and stability in flight. Because quadcopters typically operate at Reynolds numbers between roughly 20,000 and 150,000, propeller theories developed for full-scale aircraft often fail to translate directly, making low-Reynolds-number behavior a recurring theme across the literature. This review surveys recent studies that focused on UAV propeller designs and analyzed the influence of a variety of parameters, such as chord, twist, angle of attack, number of blades, and propeller materials. An overview of analytical solutions, including the Blade Element Momentum Theory (BEMT), as well as thrust sizing relations, is presented briefly, along with evidence that properly corrected BEMT predictions typically carry thrust errors near 10% and efficiency errors under 5%. In this work, numerical methods such as CFD and FEA are applied to study isolated propellers and the entire quadcopter configuration, while material comparisons spanning PLA, carbon-fiber composites, and advanced 3D-printed resins illustrate how stiffness and fatigue life directly influence blade deformation and flight endurance. Based on previous literature, the identified research gaps in the reviewed studies are mainly the ones that indicate the necessity of a holistic design approach that should involve geometric modification, material substitution, and combined aerodynamic–structural evaluation, particularly through coupled BEMT-CFD-FEA frameworks that remain rare for sub-100 mm diameter UAV propellers operating below a Reynolds number of 100,000.
Keywords: Quadcopter, UAV propeller, Blade Element Momentum Theory, CFD, chord length, inflow angle, material selection
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Trends in Mechanical Engineering & Technology
| Volume | 16 | |
| 03 | ||
| Received | 17/07/2026 | |
| Accepted | 18/09/2026 | |
| Published | 10/10/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 85 Days |