Loading...

Aerodynamic Analysis and Design of a Lifting Subsystem for a VTOL UAV in the Cruise phase

Bayanlou, Mohammad Reza | 2021

328 Viewed
  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: Farsi
  3. Document No: 54061 (45)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology
  5. Department: Aerospace Engineering
  6. Advisor(s): Ebrahimi, Abbas
  7. Abstract:
  8. It is necessary to evaluate the effect of the lifting arms of VTOL UAVs in increasing the drag of UAV and reducing the flight endurance of the cruise phase. In this study, the adverse effect of the lifting subsystem and its accessories on reducing the aerodynamic efficiency of the wing and optimizing its design for the cruise phase is studied. The base UAV is an integrated wing-body drone with a 2.12 m wing span, 7 kg maximum take-off weight and with about 65 km / h horizontal flight speed. To investigate the possibility of reducing the adverse aerodynamic effect of the arms of the lifting system, different positions are selected in terms of the geometric dimensions of the arms and their location on the wing. To design these different combinations, hypotheses and constraints are first considered in terms of flight dynamics, structure, and the location of the UAV's center of gravity. Then, the effect of the parameters of vertical position and angle of attack on the installation of lifting arms, the method of attaching the arm to the wing and the method of installing the motors and propeller at the end of the arms on the aerodynamics of the UAV are investigated. Numerical simulation and aerodynamic performance analysis of various geometric combinations are performed in three dimensions with the help of Fluent software. To validate the results, a comparison of the aerodynamic simulation results of the base UAV with a reference of experimental data from this base UAV was used. In this research, the best method for connecting the lift arm and the best model for the motor holder have been selected from among the designed models. The maximum L/D parameter value for the base UAV without the lift arm is 14.5 and in the optimal combination designed UAV with the lift arm is 13.84
  9. Keywords:
  10. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) ; Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VtOL) ; Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) ; Blended Wing Body ; Cruise Phase ; Aerodynamic Design

 Digital Object List

 Bookmark

No TOC