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I'm not sure if its the right place, I have a problem with a flying thingy, and you like flying thingies, don't you?

I will be trying to add some means of propulsion to my friend's styrofoam plane (3ft wingspan, 2-3ft length). I have quite a few computer fans lying around, so I decided to add four (two on each side of the hull) 1W, 2x2 inch fans. Now you don't see a lot of propeller planes with their propellers ducted (well, maybe except for jet engines, but they are a different animal), do you? Now, I heard that ducting equals more efficiency and thrust.

So should I snip the ducting off or let it stay on? I can provide more information if you need it. big ol fanboye

thegamebusterpl
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  • I have a doubt you are going to get any measurable thrust from 4 1W computer fans, shroud or not. – Ron Beyer Jul 27 '18 at 00:27
  • Ducting does improve efficiency, but this is most notably observed in high performance applications. There is no way ducting a computer fan will make up for the ducts weight. Especially if you are thinking about using the case the fans came in as your duct. – YAHsaves Jul 27 '18 at 02:22
  • @RonBeyer What if I stick a rotor (the spinning thing) across the motots shaft, using the motr to make it spin? – thegamebusterpl Jul 27 '18 at 04:51
  • @RonBeyer: I wouldn't be so sure. – Peter Kämpf Jul 27 '18 at 13:16
  • Add a picture. Those fans can be rather heavy and draw a lot of current. – copper.hat Jul 29 '18 at 06:26
  • The brushless motor is optimized for low EMI, not for low weight. – amI Jul 30 '18 at 22:23
  • I did some experiments in the past on the thrust from a pc fan (by simply hanging it above a digital kitchen scale). It's very little, even with the duct attatched. Why not just spend a few bucks (<$1 per propeller) on cheap eBay parts? – Sanchises Aug 02 '18 at 11:14

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