Propeller-Wake Spray Transport and Distortion

This research studies what happens when an agricultural spray is released into the highly unsteady, three-dimensional wake of a propeller. Rather than treating the nozzle as an isolated spray source, the work examines how rotor-induced flow reshapes the plume after atomization, altering its width, depth, concentration field, and downstream coherence. Across flat-fan nozzles and rotary atomizers, the studies show that propeller wakes do not merely advect droplets; they actively reorganize the spray, sometimes widening the plume, flattening or contracting its natural shape, and redistributing where deposition-relevant droplets remain concentrated.

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Drone Propeller Wake Spray Impact infographic — Drone Propeller Wake Spray Impact

Unseen Forces Drone Spray

Contributors

Students who contributed to this work

Students connected to the publications and projects represented on this page.

Contributor

Brock Greenwood

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Contributor

Abdul Khan

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Contributor

Ian Tierney

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Publications

Research publications in this area

Publication entries include citation details and student contributors where available.

Characterization of Agricultural Nozzle Spray Geometry in Propeller Wake

Students

Abdul Khan Brock Greenwood

Citation

Greenwood, Brock A., Abdul Khan, and Sidaard Gunasekaran. "Characterization of Agricultural Nozzle Spray Geometry in Propeller Wake." In AIAA SCITECH 2025 Forum, p. 2578. 2025. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2025-2578

Characterization of Rotary Atomizer Spray Geometry Under the Influence of a Propeller

Students

Abdul Khan Brock Greenwood

Citation

Grenwood, Brock A., Abdul Khan, Megan Bender, and Sidaard Gunasekaran. "Characterization of Rotary Atomizer Spray Geometry Under the Influence of a Propeller." In AIAA SCITECH 2026 Forum, p. 2700. 2026. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2026-2700

Measuring Agricultural Spray Droplet Distirbutions in Propeller Wake: A Cautionary Tale

Students

Ian Tierney

Citation

Tierney, Ian M., Sidaard Gunasekaran, Kyle Butz, Timothy Anderson, and C. Taber Wanstall. "Measuring Agricultural Spray Droplet Distirbutions in Propeller Wake: A Cautionary Tale." In AIAA SCITECH 2023 Forum, p. 0090. 2023. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-0090