Date of Award

5-12-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Systems Engineering

First Advisor

Jin Lee

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles are becoming increasingly prevalent in modern society for tasks, such as package delivery, defense, and cinematography. Due to this surge in applications, many researchers have begun to search for improvements to unmanned aerial vehicles for their lift and thrust properties. Potential solutions to magnify an unmanned aerial vehicle’s thrust capability are the implementation of Coanda surfaces, nozzles, or bowl-shaped structures on each propeller. Coanda surfaces provide additional lift force by creating a vacuum in response to the adhesion of fluid to the smooth surface. Nozzles can constrict the flow of air, while also increasing its velocity. The bowl-shaped structures could have a similar impact as the Coanda surfaces as well. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted with an MRF approach to preemptively analyze the impact of each surface type on the flow created by the propeller. PLA filament was utilized to 3D print the structures for experimental testing, which could then be attached to a thrust stand or drone. A lighter version of the most effective lift boosting structure should be fabricated from nylon filament to be installed on a UAV system. Through the use of a thrust stand, the thrust value was determined for propellers with and without the lift boosters to analyze the effects produced. All three initial lift booster designs significantly improved the thrust production of the 6 x 3 propeller at all tested RPM speeds by a factor of 37% - 47%. Dimensional analysis was enacted to provide additional validation for the computational model. The addition of lift boosters in the wake of the propellers produced additional thrust, which could allow heavier packages to be delivered at a quicker rate, improve the mobility of defense drones, and increase the efficiency of future drone models. Further research should examine the optimization process for implementing these lift boosting structures on unmanned aerial vehicles.

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