Thrust, Flow Straighteners, Steering and Straight

Line Stability.

Intro

Following the AGM03 I was asked to write up my talk on flow straighteners

(stators). This should help unravel the mysteries of what is going on in your back end... In the
following article all fan rotations are taken looking in to the front of the fan and ie. Typical
Rotax set up would be clockwise and typical TZR set up counter clockwise.
Hope it is of some use to those trying to get those last few pounds of thrust
Thrust

The principal behind the way a hover works is very simple, by pushing air one way
the hover goes the other. (Opposite to the misconception that the fan eats its way into the air,
it is all pushing).
When the air leaves the fan it has not only gained momentum through the duct (front
to back) but it has also gained rotational momentum (whirl) in the direction of the rotation of
the fan, so Rotax thrust will have gained a clockwise rotational momentum.
The gain in speed of the air through the duct is what gives you forwards thrust.
(Techie bit force = Rate of change of momentum and Rate of change of momentum =
velocity x mass of air so for a given duct size thrust is directly proportional to the velocity of
air thought it: but we all knew the last bit).
The rotational gain in the speed of the air only upsets the crafts stability by causing a
rotational force on the hull. So a Rotax giving the air a clockwise whirl, will experience a
counter clockwise force on the hull. This looking from the drivers seat means that when he
puts the power on the right hand side of the craft will dip down to the floor and the driver has
to move to the left to keep the craft level. This is usually only noticed when the craft is
starting to fly, and one corner will always go up easier.
So what can be done about this?
ways.

We use flow straighteners to remove the whirl velocity from the air. This helps in two

Firstly all the rotational forces are removed (except those attributed to the acceleration
and deceleration of engine components). Giving greater stability and predictability of the craft
whilst undertaking unintentional aerial maneuvers.
Secondly the rotational momentum is translated into backwards momentum thus
increasing the crafts overall thrust, giving the driver those extra few pounds of thrust to out
drag his arch nemesis.

Blades
Fan blades are designed to produce a free vortex flow, this is that all the air across the
duct moves down it at the same speed and that it all rotates at the same rotational velocity. i.e.
it makes a big rotating sausage of air.

Flow Straightener design

The design of a flow Straightener is a bit tricky and if VERY wrong it causes
turbulent flow in the duct, which can cause increased noise and reduce performance. But if
these steps are followed, then the benefits are increased performance, efficiency and reduced
noise. Below is a rough idea of what we are aiming for. This diagram shows a counter
clockwise fan in front of stators that is driven from behind. (top view)

Current designs (see next sketch)

The average Straightener is roughly correct except that the angles arent steep enough
causing separation off the back surface (i.e. the aerofoil has stalled). This is because the air is
coming in far too steeply for it (red parallel lines). The Straightener angle (green line) needs
to be parallel to the red lines. This discrepancy causes the separation and turbulence (red curly
line). Which results in the air not being fully corrected to the required exit angle (other green
line). The turbulence actually causes a vacuum and the air off the front (lower) surface of the
stator is caused to rotate again after leaving the Straightener. The turbulence is what causes
the increased fan noise (or Straightener noise, as it should be termed).

Incorrect design showing turbulence.

This is often made evident by dirt patterns in the duct or bug splatters.
What we are aiming for is the air in angle to match the Straightener angle and the back edge
to be parallel to the required direction of flow.
Correct Design showing laminar non-turbulent flow.

In order to design the Straightener we must know what is going on just after the air has left
the back edge of the blade.
What you need to measure or calculate before you start is as follows;
Tip speed
Root speed
Linear velocity of air though the duct or flow speed (available in empirical fan data from
manufacturer or in fan data published by Keith Smallwood. Or calculated roughly from duct
size and engine power (not advised).
Blade exit angles at the tip of the blade
Blade exit angles at the root of the blade (hub)
Root & Tip radii

Velocity Triangles
This is a simple geometrical method to work out your own specific flow Straightener
angles. It requires graph paper a protractor etc. This must be repeated for both the tip and root,
the change down its length can be considered linear. A scale of 1mm = lm/s (you are drawing
speeds as distances) is a good start. There is a worked example later.

1. Draw a line representing the tip speed (e.g. 100m/s=100mm)

2. Secondly draw a line for flow speed at 90 to this (e.g. 45m/s=45mm)
3. At this distance draw in a line parallel to the tip speed line (any length it is just a
reference line.)
4. From the blade end of the tip speed line draw a line at the blade exit angle (eg 40-60).
5. From the other end of the tip speed line you can now draw the resultant air flow, which
passes though the point where the blade exit-angle line intersects the reference line (3).
6. Measure off your flow Straightener (Stator) angle.

For racing, design for max power, as this is where you want the advantage. For
cruising, design for average cruising speed, to reduce noise and fuel consumption. Even so the
differences between the angles at half and full throttle are quite small (for any given set up),
this is due to the flow speed reducing as the tip speed reduces. The only change in required
angle is due to the changing efficiency of the blade with speed, (i.e. the relationship between
flow speed and tip speed is not perfectly linear.) The window of error is in the region of l0
each way before stall occurs.

Worked Example (competitive F3)

Constraints
930mm duct
60bhp
Six 5Z blades set to 45 Counter Clockwise
This gives us
Flow speed of 4l .25m/s (fan data)
Tip speed of 116m/s (calc)
Root speed of 36m/s (calc)
Tip blade exit angle 41.5 (measured)
Root blade exit angle 70 (measured)

This example is fairly typical showing a tip flow Straightener angle of 60 and
root angle of 30. (these are good ball park numbers for most craft).

How does this work?

The air leaving the blades still has the same rotational velocity (thus momentum) so how
does this correct what has already happened? It works by creating a further change in the air
flows momentum at the flow Straightener back the other way. The two forces are twisting in
opposite directions and thus cancel out. This does mean that the Straighteners must be mounted
rigidly in to the duct to take the additional force (PU sealant works well with the stator right
though the duct skin). Straight flow means level hovering and easy handling.

Spacing, Construction and layout

The number of flow Straighteners and blades should always be different to stop the
blades passing the flow Straighteners all at the same time. Prime numbers are thus by far the
best, so opt for either 7 or 11 and spaced equally around the duct.
Setups for clockwise fans

To ensure correct spacing cut out a wooden disc and fix on a ring to hold the cone in
place. Mark out the correct angles on the disc and push it into the duct. Mark the positions on
the cone and duct. Remove the disc and cut the holes in the cone and duct. Foam fill hollow
flow Straighteners and Push all the flow Straighteners through the duct from the inside and
then in to the cone, replace the disc and locate cone. Seal in place with PU sealant and fibre
glass on the outside. Leave to set. Remove disc. And fill the cone with expanding two part PU
foam (not the spray-can stuff). It should look like this (above). Try to get the top Straightener
to have its back edge vertical so as to line up with the rudder.
The sketch below is for clockwise fans (rotax) to the angles calculated as in this
article. Hopefully this sketch clarifies this.

Steering
When cornering the rudder is used. This works by pushing the air one way so as to
push the craft the other (ie gives the air sideways momentum so as to generate an opposing
force). With decent flow Straighteners only one rudder is required.

Conclusion

The normal stator can be much improved with no drawbacks (except the time to do it). The
steeper the fan pitch, the shallower the Straightener angles can be. Having control of the air
going out the back will give the craft better performance. For further info look in any degree
level fluid mechanics course book..
References: Mechanics of fluids, Bernard Massey.
The author John Bucknall, may be contacted by e-mailing:

john@storm-hovercraft.co.uk

Disclaimer.
This article is based on the research, practical and personal experience of the author. Readers may freely use the information
contained herein and pass the document to others in its entirety. Permission of the author should be sought before the article is
republished in any manner. The author accepts no liability for any errors or omissions, or for problems arising from the use of
information contained herein.