Application And Advantages of Long-chain Nylon in UAV Blades

Application and advantages of long-chain nylon in UAV blades

With the continuous development of UAV technology, the performance requirements for blade materials are getting higher and higher. Long-chain nylon (LCN), as a high-performance engineering plastic, has shown excellent performance in the field of UAV blades. It has the characteristics of lightweight, high toughness, and weather resistance, and has gradually become the preferred solution for engineering plastic blade materials. This article will discuss in detail the characteristics, application advantages and future development trends of long-chain nylon.

1. Basic characteristics of long-chain nylon

Long-chain nylon mainly includes PA12, PA11, PA610, PA612and other types. Compared with traditional short-chain nylon (such as PA6, PA66), the methylene segment in its molecular structure is longer, which gives it the following key characteristics:

Excellent toughness and impact resistance

Lightweight, lower energy consumption

The relatively low density of long-chain nylon makes the blades lighter, helping to improve the drone's endurance.

It has both high specific strength and specific stiffness, and can maintain good mechanical properties while reducing weight.

Excellent weather resistance and heat and humidity resistance

It has extremely low hygroscopicity (much lower than PA6 and PA66) and can maintain stable dimensions and mechanical properties in high humidity environments.

It has excellent resistance to UV rays and chemical corrosion, and is suitable for long-term use of outdoor drones in complex climatic conditions.

Good fatigue resistance

It has excellent anti-fatigue properties and can maintain stable rigidity and strength even in long-term operation, making it suitable for high-frequency flight missions.

2. Advantages of long-chain nylon in UAV blades

2.1 Replace traditional short-chain nylon to improve durability

Compared with PA6 and PA66, the main improvements of long-chain nylon materials in blade applications are as follows:

• Reduce water absorption, improve dimensional stability , and reduce blade deformation caused by humidity changes.

• Enhance impact resistance , reduce blade damage rate caused by collision, and increase service life.

2.2 Glass fiber/carbon fiber reinforced long-chain nylon to improve rigidity and strength

In order to further improve the rigidity and strength of the blade, reinforcing materials can be added to the long-chain nylon, such as:

• Glass fiber reinforced PA12 (PA12+GF) : Improves the rigidity and fatigue resistance of the blades and is suitable for heavy-load industrial-grade UAVs.

• Carbon fiber reinforced PA12 (PA12+CF) : Improves the specific strength of the blades while further reducing the weight, suitable for high-end racing drones and professional-grade aerial photography drones.

2.3 Typical application scenarios of long-chain nylon blades

3. Future development trends

High performance composite long chain nylon material

Combined with nano-filling, aromatic reinforcement and other technologies, the strength and heat resistance of the material can be further optimized.

Environmental protection and sustainable development

Develop bio-based PA11 as a sustainable material source to reduce carbon footprint.

By optimizing the recycling process, high-performance long-chain nylon blades can be recycled.

Intelligent and functional modification

Develop self-repairing long-chain nylon materials to improve the damage resistance of the blades.

Combined with conductive or sensing materials, intelligent monitoring functions can be realized to improve the safety and reliability of UAV systems.

4. Conclusion

Long-chain nylon has shown broad application prospects in the field of drone blades due to its excellent toughness, light weight, weather resistance and fatigue resistance. Through enhanced modification (glass fiber, carbon fiber filling) and composite material technology, long-chain nylon can meet the needs of different types of drones and become an important choice for high-performance drone blade materials in the future. With the advancement of material technology, long-chain nylon blades will play a greater role in high-end aerial photography, industrial-grade drones and other fields.