Design and Development of a Custom-Built Static Test Stand to Evaluate the Aerodynamic Performance of Coaxial Propellers

Coaxial propeller systems offer compact geometry, torque cancellation, and enhanced thrust capabilities, making them highly attractive for UAV applications where space and performance efficiency are critical. However, their aerodynamic behavior is dominated by complex rotor–rotor interactions, and experimental data that independently resolve the contributions of each rotor remain limited. This work presents the design and development of a custom-built static test stand capable of measuring thrust, torque, and power from each rotor in a counter-rotating coaxial configuration. The system integrates high-precision load sensing, non-contact RPM measurement, and a streamlined data acquisition framework to enable accurate characterization of wake-induced interference effects. Using this platform, isolated-rotor baselines and coaxial performance measurements are obtained across a range of operating speeds, allowing quantification of thrust degradation, torque redistribution, and power penalties associated with coaxial operation. The resulting performance maps and interference factors provide a detailed experimental characterization of coaxial rotor behavior in static conditions and establish a validated dataset for aerodynamic modeling and optimization of next-generation UAV propulsion systems.