A comparative acoustic analysis of 3D-printed drone propellers with different materials and manufacturing methods

Abstract

This study presents a comparative acoustic analysis of drone propellers manufactured using different materials and additive manufacturing methods. A total of twelve propellers were produced with FFF (Fused filament fabrication) and MSLA (Masked Stereolithography) techniques, employing six different material types, including ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate), PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol), PLA (Polylactic Acid), Tough Resin and Water Wash Resin. All propellers were tested individually under the same conditions specific to the experimental setup and acoustic data were recorded using a microphone. Subsequently, various sound characteristics such as A-weighted sound pressure level (dB(A)), fluctuation strength, roughness and sharpness were analyzed using MATLAB. The results demonstrate that both the material and the printing method have a substantial influence on acoustic behavior. While FFF-printed propellers generally produced higher sound pressure levels, MSLA-printed ones tended to exhibit higher values in temporal modulation metrics such as fluctuation and roughness. Furthermore, materials with higher stiffness generally tended to exhibit lower overall loudness, fluctuation and roughness, whereas higher sharpness values were observed. The findings contribute to the understanding of how material selection and additive manufacturing methods influence noise emissions in drones, providing a perspective for future design optimizations.

Keywords

• Drone propeller
• Additive manufacturing
• Acoustic analysis

Farklı malzemeler ve üretim yöntemleri kullanılarak 3B baskı ile üretilen drone pervanelerinin karşılaştırmalı akustik analizi

Abstract

Bu çalışma farklı malzemeler ve eklemeli üretim yöntemleri kullanılarak üretilen insansız hava aracı pervanelerinin karşılaştırmalı akustik analizini sunmaktadır. FFF (Eritilmiş filament üretimi) ve MSLA (Maskelenmiş stereolitografi) teknikleri kullanılarak ABS (Akrilonitril Bütadien Stiren), ASA (Akrilonitril Stiren Akrilat), PETG (Polietilen Tereftalat Glikol), PLA (Polilaktik Asit), tok reçine ve suda yıkanabilir reçine dahil olmak üzere altı farklı malzeme türü ile toplam on iki pervane üretilmiştir. Tüm pervaneler deney düzeneğine özgü standart koşullar altında ayrı ayrı test edildi ve akustik veriler mikrofon kullanılarak kaydedildi. Ardından, A-ağırlıklı ses basıncı seviyesi (dB(A)), dalgalanma, pürüzlülük ve keskinlik gibi çeşitli ses özellikleri MATLAB kullanılarak analiz edildi. Sonuçlar hem malzeme hem de baskı yönteminin akustik davranış üzerinde önemli bir etkiye sahip olduğunu göstermektedir. FFF ile basılmış pervaneler genellikle daha yüksek ses basıncı seviyeleri üretirken, MSLA ile basılmış pervaneler dalgalanma ve pürüzlülük gibi zamansal modülasyon ölçütlerinde daha yüksek değerler sergileme eğilimindeydi. Ayrıca, daha yüksek rijitliğe sahip malzemeler genel olarak daha düşük ses yüksekliği, dalgalanma ve pürüzlülük sergilerken keskinlik değerlerinin daha yüksek olduğu gözlemlenmiştir. Bu bulgular, malzeme seçimi ve eklemeli imalat tekniğinin insansız hava araçlarında gürültü emisyonlarını nasıl etkilediğinin anlaşılmasına katkıda bulunarak, gelecekteki tasarım optimizasyonları için bir perspektif oluşturmaktadır.

Keywords

• İnsansız hava aracı pervanesi
• Eklemeli imalat
• Akustik analiz

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