Abstract:To address the problems of low flight efficiency and poor flight stability of a micro quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) under complex operating conditions, the aerodynamic characteristics of its rotor were analyzed and optimized. Based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD), a full-aircraft aerodynamic simulation model was established using the shear stress transport (SST) k–ω turbulence model and the multiple reference frame (MRF) method. The flow field distribution of the UAV was simulated under an inlet axial velocity of 1 m/s. The simulation results indicate that the original conventional rotor can satisfy the baseline thrust requirement of 4.88 N; however, it exhibits defects such as divergent wake flow and weak flow-field convergence. To address this issue, a high-camber thin airfoil reconstruction method based on blade element theory was proposed. The simulation results show that the optimized configuration maintains an almost constant vertical thrust (approximately 4.92 N) while significantly improving aerodynamic stability. The pitching moment coefficient is reduced by 65.4%, and effectively alleviating the asymmetric aerodynamic loads associated with blade torsional deformation and overall vehicle attitude oscillation. Meanwhile, the flow-field topology changes from a divergent pattern to a more compact convergent structure, thereby promoting a more concentrated axial development of the downwash flow. Through the mapping analysis of representative engineering scenarios in low-altitude disturbed-flow environments, the present study further substantiates the applicability and engineering potential of the proposed highly cambered thin-airfoil reconstruction method under representative axial inflow disturbance conditions. The findings provide theoretical guidance for the aerodynamic layout design and engineering development of micro aerial vehicles.