Recently, the need for smaller axial fans with high specific speeds lead to the design of counter-rotating axial fans. The design of this kind of machines, which have promising aerodynamic performances, suffers from a lack of knowledge about their aerodynamics. Counter-rotating rotors, widely studied in aeronautics, are an effective alternative to conventional machines and offer many advantages: rotation ratio and diameter reduction, and high flexibility in use. However, a better understanding of their working and of the rotors interaction is required to enhance their design and to make them widely integrated in current applications. This experimental research work investigates on a ducted counter-rotating stage designed with a home code, MFT based on an inverse design method for rotors and rotor-stator stages, and to which a rapid and simple method is implemented to design the rear rotor. The study focuses on the effects of the rotation ratio and on the axial spacing between rotors. It highlights several aspects of the rotors interaction through global performance and local unsteady measurements. This dissertation is organized in four parts: rotor-stator and rotor-rotor stages design; design of the experimental facility, AERO²FANS allowing global performance and local unsteady measurements; comparison between the two stages and design validation; investigation on the effects of the rotation ratio and the axial spacing on the global and the local performances.
