DEVELOPMENT AND PRELIMINARY CHARACTERISATION OF A MULTI-ORIENTATION PROPELLER TEST BENCH FOR STATIC THRUST-VECTOR MEASUREMENT IN TILT-CAPABLE UAV APPLICATIONS

Buyung Junaidin (Department of Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Aerospace Technology, Adisutjipto Institute of Aerospace Technology)
Agung Prakoso (Department of Aeronautic, Faculty of Aerospace Technology, Adisutjipto Institute of Aerospace Technology)
Sarjito (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta)
Dani Harmanto (Department of Aeronautical Engineering, De Montfort University, United Kingdom)
Adam Ghuthruf Nugroho (Department of Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Aerospace Technology, Adisutjipto Institute of Aerospace Technology,)
Dana Fitra Thoriq (Department of Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Aerospace Technology, Adisutjipto Institute of Aerospace Technology)

Majalah Teknik Mesin
Vol. 27 No. 2 (2026)

This study develops and preliminarily characterises a low-cost multi-orientation propeller test bench for static thrust-vector measurements relevant to tilt-capable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) propulsion research. The platform combines a servo-actuated 0-90 degree tilt mechanism, an Arduino Uno data-acquisition unit, nominal 1 kgf load-cell instrumentation with HX711 conditioning, an MPU6050 orientation sensor, RPM monitoring, and an inline electrical power meter. The prototype was evaluated using a 63.5 mm HQProp T63-6 propeller driven by an iFlight XING 1404 4600 KV motor at discrete tilt angles of 0, 30, 45, 60, and 90 degrees over several rotational-speed settings. The preliminary measurements show the expected redistribution of the propulsion-force vector in the laboratory reference frame: the horizontal component is dominant at 0 degrees, the vertical component is dominant at 90 degrees, and approximately balanced components occur near 45 degrees. Increasing rotational speed increases the measured force magnitude across the tested orientations. The present experiment is intentionally interpreted as static multi-orientation force-vector characterisation rather than a reproduction of transition-flight aerodynamics, because no external freestream was imposed. The results demonstrate the practical functionality of the rotating test-bench architecture and its suitability as a foundation for more rigorous propulsion-system characterisation.