If you’re just starting out with drone design and wondering if the noise your drone will make will bother you, this article is for you.
On average, a drone will produce a sound of 80 decibels. Larger drones are above this average. To give you an idea of how loud that is, a vacuum cleaner produces an average of 75 decibels. That’s right, drones can be louder than a vacuum cleaner, but there are walls to stop the sound from bothering people around you. There are several ways you can use to make your drone quieter. You may be wondering what causes the intense noise that is characteristic of most drones. The answer is simple…
Drone propellers are the biggest factor when it comes to drone noise. The propellers spin quickly, displacing air during the process. The pressure from their rotation is the main cause of the noise.
Of course, the motor also makes some noise, but this is muffled compared to the noise emitted by the propellers. Propellers still come in a dozen and can have varying noise emissions based on two things: The shape of the propeller blades and the diameter of the blade in question.
Shape of Propeller Blade :
The less aerodynamic the propeller blades are, the more noise they make.
Blade Diameter:
The reason drones make noise is because the propellers spin quickly to displace the air around them. So what happens when the propellers are long?
The answer is simple, shorter propellers will spin more slowly, displacing air at a slower speed and therefore creating less pressure around them, which means less noise. To put this logic in perspective, a helicopter’s wing has an average of 400 RPM, while a small drone has an average RPM of 4500 RPM… Yes, size matters when it comes to propellers.
Drone Noise Compared to Other Household Items
I think the best way to get the point across is to show you this chart by WeTalkUav comparing drone sounds to various household items.
In addition to daily use, the loudness of the sound in an aircraft is also necessary for the user during reconnaissance, surveillance and attack. In this way, you can present your values to your customers and improve your R&D studies in this direction.
The truth is, there is no way to have a completely silent drone. We don’t have that technology yet. But you can follow the tips I showed you with some effort to make your drone quieter.