Why do we commonly see 4 propellers in drones when there is a possibility to reduce or increase the number of propellers? Is it cheaper or more efficient?
There are many types of drones, which have brought great convenience to different sectors, especially in recent years. In this context, we see that their shape and number of engines change according to their intended use, but for some reason, the most common ones are four-engine models.
So what’s the reason for this? Have you ever wondered what makes four-engine models better than those with fewer engines or preferable to those with more engines? Let’s look behind this issue together.
Let’s start with single-engine drones
To fly the drone, the engine and propeller duo are essential. But the job is not easy enough to make you say “let the engine turn the propeller and let’s fly smoothly”. As the motor rotates the propeller, a torque power develops in the opposite direction.
At this time, your drone takes off, but due to the torque we mentioned, it constantly rotates around itself.
We are familiar with this thanks to remote-control helicopters
These toys, especially the cheaper ones, often spin around when they take off, as we are used to.
To prevent this, manufacturers place two engines on toy helicopters, as we can see more commonly these days. Because the two engines rotating in opposite directions cancel the effect that causes the helicopter to rotate around itself.
For this reason, your toy does not rotate around itself and avoids the risk of hitting something, and it becomes much easier to steer it.
If one propeller rotates clockwise, the other propeller rotates counterclockwise. In this context, when you want to turn right, the motor moving to the left slows down and your toy turns to the right because the power of the one going to the right is dominant.
When we put the toys aside and look at real helicopters, we see a big propeller. Then why don’t they spin around themselves?
Because in helicopters, the task of the second engine we just mentioned is the engine located in the tail section and placed vertically. This engine provides a stable flight experience as it works in sync with the engine of the large propeller most of the time.
Once we understand this, let’s get back to drones.
By the same logic, at least two engines are required to properly fly the drone. When we wanted to steer the drone, we said that one of the engines was moving faster than the other.
In this context, twin-engine drones are mostly designed in a ‘V’ shape, allowing movement in only two directions. In addition, we cannot say that they are very resistant to even the slightest winds.
This brings us to 3-motor drones. A more balanced flight experience is achieved in these models. But still, do not have a flying experience that will make you forget the two-engined ones.
Although they are much more performance and balanced than them, 3-motor drones are not good with the wind either. But as a plus, there are possibilities of movement in more directions.
As for the four-engine drones that hold the throne…
The biggest advantage of these models is that although you can get better performance with more engines, they are very efficient in terms of price / performance.
The state of rotation due to the torque we mentioned at the beginning; It disappears when two motors rotate clockwise and the other two motors counterclockwise.
In addition, since there are more engines than the previous ones, they do not upset the users in tasks such as carrying loads.
In addition, these models, which have the potential to perform better than other models against harsh weather conditions, are also very rich in terms of movement.
In short, we can say that the most efficient, most durable and most performance models in terms of price / performance in order to get the efficiency we want are the ones with four motors.
There is even more.
When you look, it is possible to see drones with 6 or 8 propellers. These models can often be seen by professionals during filming or search and rescue operations. For this reason, the prices are quite high.
For their price, they provide extreme durability and stability. Of course, extra propeller means extra engine, extra engine means extra power consumption.
So while adding an extra motor will improve the experience, it will increase weight and expense and reduce battery life. Therefore, individual users do not prefer these models.
Of course, these are just drone types. Because one company’s 3 propeller drone may be better than another company’s 4 propeller drone. But when the conditions are the same, this is not the case. For this reason, everyone chooses the drone model and brand, taking into account their needs.
