Noise reduction in aviation would enable urban missions that cannot be own with current generation helicopters because of their noisiness. This goal can be achieved by using electric motors as they are quieter and can produce higher torque at lower RPMs. Therefore, a proprotor system can be designed to exploit this characteristic potentially abating noise levels. This research performed noise approximations included with rotor aerodynamics for a single, electric-driven, hovering proprotor by creating a code meant to be used in design cycle analysis. The approximation was based on geometry by using the blade element momentum theory, and calculating the pressure distribution along the blade surface using Drela's Xfoil (2001). The noise approximation, performed using Brentner's PSU-WOPWOPv3 (2017), was validated with known data obtained from previous published experimental results. These were within acceptable range of error, demonstrating the feasibility of the tool to be used in a design environment. Two rotors were analyzed, concluding that a custom designed proprotor for eVTOL applications is quieter than conventional rotor.
","abstract_html":"<p>Noise reduction in aviation would enable urban missions that cannot be own with current generation helicopters because of their noisiness. This goal can be achieved by using electric motors as they are quieter and can produce higher torque at lower RPMs. Therefore, a proprotor system can be designed to exploit this characteristic potentially abating noise levels. This research performed noise approximations included with rotor aerodynamics for a single, electric-driven, hovering proprotor by creating a code meant to be used in design cycle analysis. The approximation was based on geometry by using the blade element momentum theory, and calculating the pressure distribution along the blade surface using Drela's Xfoil (2001). The noise approximation, performed using Brentner's PSU-WOPWOPv3 (2017), was validated with known data obtained from previous published experimental results. These were within acceptable range of error, demonstrating the feasibility of the tool to be used in a design environment. Two rotors were analyzed, concluding that a custom designed proprotor for eVTOL applications is quieter than conventional rotor.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Santacruz, Xavier G."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering","degree_level":"Thesis - Open Access","degree_discipline":"Aerospace Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:52Z","subjects":["proprotor","noise","approximation","design cycle analysis","Aerospace Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.erau.edu/edt/451","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Santacruz, Xavier G."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Aerospace Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["proprotor","noise","approximation","design cycle analysis","Aerospace Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/451"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Noise reduction in aviation would enable urban missions that cannot be own with current generation helicopters because of their noisiness. This goal can be achieved by using electric motors as they are quieter and can produce higher torque at lower RPMs. Therefore, a proprotor system can be designed to exploit this characteristic potentially abating noise levels. This research performed noise approximations included with rotor aerodynamics for a single, electric-driven, hovering proprotor by creating a code meant to be used in design cycle analysis. The approximation was based on geometry by using the blade element momentum theory, and calculating the pressure distribution along the blade surface using Drela's Xfoil (2001). The noise approximation, performed using Brentner's PSU-WOPWOPv3 (2017), was validated with known data obtained from previous published experimental results. These were within acceptable range of error, demonstrating the feasibility of the tool to be used in a design environment. Two rotors were analyzed, concluding that a custom designed proprotor for eVTOL applications is quieter than conventional rotor.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Low-Tip-Speed High-Torque Proprotor Noise Approximation for Design Cycle Analysis"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Santacruz, Xavier G."],"dc:description.abstract":["Noise reduction in aviation would enable urban missions that cannot be own with current generation helicopters because of their noisiness. This goal can be achieved by using electric motors as they are quieter and can produce higher torque at lower RPMs. Therefore, a proprotor system can be designed to exploit this characteristic potentially abating noise levels. This research performed noise approximations included with rotor aerodynamics for a single, electric-driven, hovering proprotor by creating a code meant to be used in design cycle analysis. The approximation was based on geometry by using the blade element momentum theory, and calculating the pressure distribution along the blade surface using Drela's Xfoil (2001). The noise approximation, performed using Brentner's PSU-WOPWOPv3 (2017), was validated with known data obtained from previous published experimental results. These were within acceptable range of error, demonstrating the feasibility of the tool to be used in a design environment. Two rotors were analyzed, concluding that a custom designed proprotor for eVTOL applications is quieter than conventional rotor.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/451"],"dc:subject":["proprotor","noise","approximation","design cycle analysis","Aerospace Engineering"],"dc:title":["Low-Tip-Speed High-Torque Proprotor Noise Approximation for Design Cycle Analysis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Aerospace Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:52Z"}