Preliminary structural design and aerodynamic analysis of Mars science helicopter rotors

Chi, Cheng; Lumba, Ravi; Jung, Yong S.; Datta, Anubhav

Abstract

NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory have proposed conceptual designs of a larger 20 kg Mars Science Helicopter (MSH) as a follow-on to the small 1.8 kg Mars Helicopter "Ingenuity". The preliminary structural design of the MSH rotor was carried out at the University of Maryland. The designs were developed for two configurations—a hexacopter and a coaxial—to meet the blade’s natural frequency and weight requirements. Four designs, two for each configuration, were produced in this paper. Natural frequencies, mode shapes, and stresses at a rotational speed were calculated. It was observed that the lower frequency target of the hexacopter generally produced lower weight than the coaxial. Therefore, a more detailed analysis was carried out on one of the hexacopter designs.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (published)
• Conference Name: ASCEND 2020
• Start Date: Nov 16, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Nov 2, 2020
• Publication Date: Nov 16, 2020
• Deposit Date: Dec 19, 2024
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2020-4025
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/13537739