SBIR Phase I: Experimental validation of an innovative lift-generating mechanism for use in future VTOL Aircraft.

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research SBIR Phase I project is that it will answer the quest for developing a new type of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft combining the competitive advantages of winged aircraft with those of helicopters. Accordingly, this project will enable the production of a new type of VTOL aircraft that will be able to cruise at 640 mph; to operate at altitudes up to 35,000 feet; will be cheaper to build and maintain, easier to fly and less prone to accidents; and will provide the comfort and low noise level winged aircraft enjoy.

These competitive advantages will make this new type of VTOL aircraft more attractive to Helicopter and Business Aircraft manufacturers and customers, which will boost the $55 Billion/year helicopter and business aircraft Industry. In addition, this project will enable the production of small/medium-sized, electric, VTOL Aircraft for use in metropolitan areas, which will provide U.S. communities with a fast, convenient, low-noise means of transportation for use in metropolitan areas.

The current SBIR Phase I project aims at confirming the feasibility of an innovative lift-generating mechanism to enable the production of a new type of VTOL Aircraft. The lift-generating mechanism employs two novel components, a compound propeller having a cascade of specially-designed low angle-of-attack blades positioned in close proximity to one another, and an airflow pattern modifier.

The feasibility of these two components was suggested with a multi-element airfoil CFD analysis tool, motivating the prototype proposed here. This project will broaden our understanding of blades operating at low angle-of-attack and positioned in close proximity to one another. The main objectives of this project are to assess the performance of the compound propeller and the effect of using the airflow pattern modifiers on the performance; and to estimate the overall disc loading and hover lift efficiency of this proposed lift-generating mechanism.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.