Blade Element Theory Model for UAV Blade Damage Simulation

From fault-tolerant control to failure detection, blade damage simulation is integral for developing and testing failure-resilient modern unmanned aerial vehicles. Existing approaches assume partial loss of rotor effectiveness or reduce the problem to centrifugal forces resulting from the shift in the propeller centre of gravity. In this study, a white-box blade damage model based on Blade Element Theory is proposed, integrating both mass and aerodynamic effects of blade damage. The model serves as plug-in to the nominal system model, enables the simulation of any degree of blade damage and does not require costly experimental data from failure cases. A complementary methodology for the identification of the airfoil lift and drag coefficients is also presented. Both contributions were demonstrated with the Bebop 2 drone platform and validated with static test stand wrench measurements obtained at 3 levels of blade damage (0%, 10%, 25%) in a dedicated wind tunnel experimental campaign with velocities up to 12 m/s. Results indicate high accuracy in simulating a healthy propeller. In the presence of blade damage, the model exhibits a relative error between 5% and 24% at high propeller rotational speeds and between 15% and 75% at low propeller rotational speeds.