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Bioinspired Large-Planform Drone Rotors for Reduced Aeroacoustic Noise

Proposes and computationally tests a simple bioinspired strategy for quieting small drone rotors: motivated by the aeroacoustics of mosquito and fruit-fly flapping flight, increasing a rotor's planform area allows a lower rotation rate for the same thrust, cutting the associated aeroacoustic noise. Flow is solved with a sharp-interface immersed boundary method and radiated sound is predicted via the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings equation; simulations show larger-planform rotors deliver both reduced noise and improved power economy.