Aerodynamic and structural design for the development of a MALE UAV

2018 ◽  
Vol 90 (7) ◽  
pp. 1077-1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pericles Panagiotou ◽  
Efstratios Giannakis ◽  
Georgios Savaidis ◽  
Kyros Yakinthos
Keyword(s):  
Structural Design ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Parameterized Design ◽  
Detail Design ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Structural Parts ◽  
Long Endurance ◽  
Structural Aspects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the preliminary design of a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), focusing on the interaction between the aerodynamic and the structural design studies. Design/methodology/approach The classic layout theory was used, adjusted for the needs of unmanned aircraft, including aerodynamic calculations, presizing methods and CFD, to estimate key aerodynamic and stability coefficients. Considering the structural aspects, a combination of layout, finite element methods and custom parameterized design tools were used, allowing automatic reshapes of the skin and the internal structural parts, which are mainly made of composite materials. Interaction loops were defined between the aforementioned studies to optimize the performance of the aerial vehicle, maximize the aerodynamic efficiency and reduce the structural weight. Findings The complete design procedure of a UAV is shown, starting from the final stages of conceptual design, up to the point where the detail design and mechanical drawings initiated. Practical implications This paper presents a complete view of a design study of a MALE UAV, which was successfully constructed and flight-tested. Originality/value This study presents a complete, synergetic approach between the configuration layout, aerodynamic and structural aspects of a MALE UAV.

Solar UAV design framework for a HALE flight

2019 ◽  
Vol 91 (7) ◽  
pp. 927-937
Author(s):  
Hoyon Hwang ◽  
Jaeyoung Cha ◽  
Jon Ahn
Keyword(s):  
User Interfaces ◽  
Minimum Weight ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Aircraft Design ◽  
Design Framework ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Long Endurance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the development of an optimal design framework for high altitude long endurance solar unmanned aerial vehicle. The proposed solar aircraft design framework provides a simple method to design solar aircraft for users of all levels of experience. Design/methodology/approach This design framework consists of algorithms and user interfaces for the design of experiments, optimization and mission analysis that includes aerodynamics, performance, solar energy, weight and flight distances. Findings The proposed sizing method produces the optimal solar aircraft that yields the minimum weight and satisfies the constraints such as the power balance, the night time energy balance and the lift coefficient limit. Research limitations/implications The design conditions for the sizing process are given in terms of mission altitudes, flight dates, flight latitudes/longitudes and design factors for the aircraft configuration. Practical implications The framework environment is light and easily accessible as it is implemented using open programs without the use of any expensive commercial tools or in-house programs. In addition, this study presents a sizing method for solar aircraft as traditional sizing methods fail to reflect their unique features. Social implications Solar aircraft can be used in place of a satellite and introduce many advantages. The solar aircraft is much cheaper than the conventional satellite, which costs approximately $200-300m. It operates at a closer altitude to the ground and allows for a better visual inspection. It also provides greater flexibility of missions and covers a wider range of applications. Originality/value This study presents the implementation of a function that yields optimized flight performance under the given mission conditions, such as climb, cruise and descent for a solar aircraft.

Design and analysis of a feedback loop to regulate the basic parameters of the unmanned aircraft

2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-328
Author(s):  
Marcin Chodnicki ◽  
Katarzyna Bartnik ◽  
Miroslaw Nowakowski ◽  
Grzegorz Kowaleczko
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Feedback Control ◽  
Rapid Prototyping ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Pid Controller ◽  
Control Object ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Feedback Control System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Aerial Vehicle

Purpose The motivation to perform research on feedback control system for unmanned aerial vehicles, a fact that each quadrocopter is unstable. Design/methodology/approach For this reason, it is necessary to design a control system which is capable of making unmanned aerial vehicle vertical take-off and landing (UAV VTOL) stable and controllable. For this purpose, it was decided to use a feedback control system with cascaded PID controller. The main reason for using it was that PID controllers are simple to implement and do not use much hardware resources. Moreover, cascaded control systems allow to control object response using more parameters than in a standard PID control. STM32 microcontrollers were used to make a real control system. The rapid prototyping using Embedded Coder Toolbox, FreeRTOS and STM32 CubeMX was conducted to design the algorithm of the feedback control system with cascaded PID controller for unmanned aerial vehicle vertical take-off and landings (UAV VTOLs). Findings During research, an algorithm of UAV VTOL control using the feedback control system with cascaded PID controller was designed. Tests were performed for the designed algorithm in the model simulation in Matlab/Simulink and in the real conditions. Originality/value It has been proved that an additional control loop must have a full PID controller. Moreover, a new library is presented for STM32 microcontrollers made using the Embedded Coder Toolbox just for the research. This library enabled to use rapid prototyping while developing the control algorithms.

Design, Modelling and Simulation of Maritime UAV-VTOL Flight Dynamics

2012 ◽  
Vol 152-154 ◽  
pp. 1533-1538
Author(s):  
Jun Cao ◽  
Amir M. Anvar
Keyword(s):  
Structural Design ◽  
Water Surface ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
The Other ◽  
Underwater Robot ◽  
Unmanned Air Vehicle ◽  
Vtol Uav ◽  
Air Vehicle ◽  
Remotely Piloted Aircraft ◽  
Aerial Vehicle

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is referred to as a remotely piloted aircraft or an unmanned aircraft which can be navigated with human operator in the loop. This paper discusses the design of a UAV with Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capability for Maritime applications. The design provides a means for surveillance and communication in Maritime applications. The VTOL-UAV utilises a five-rotor propulsion system that can be launched from confined platforms such as ship-decks. The intended applications of this M-UAV drove the development of an innovative landing system which in the case of emergencies can allow the M-UAV’s soft and potential landing on the water surface. The other functionalities of this UAV are its capabilities to deploy communication Micro-sonobuoys which allows for communication with underwater Robot(s) via Operator in the loop. In this paper we also discuss the process of structural design modelling and evaluation of the development of the Maritime Unmanned Air Vehicle.

Multidisciplinary wing design of a light long endurance UAV

2019 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 905-914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wojciech Grendysa
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Aircraft Design ◽  
Structure Design ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Geometric Parameters ◽  
Flight Mechanics ◽  
Geometrical Parameters ◽  
Wind Tunnel Tests ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Endurance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is finding the optimal geometric parameters and developing of a method for optimizing a light unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) wing, maximizing, at the same time, its endurance with the assumed parameters of aircraft mission. Design/methodology/approach The research is based on the experience gained by the author’s contribution to the project of building medium-altitude, long-endurance class, light UAV called “Samonit”. The author was responsible for the structure design, wind tunnel tests and flight tests of the “Samonit” aircraft. Based on the experience, the author was able to develop an optimization process considering various disciplines involved in the whole aircraft design topics such as aerodynamics, flight mechanics, structural stiffness and weight, aircraft stability and maneuverability. The presented methodology has a multidisciplinary nature, as in the process of optimization both aerodynamic aspects and the influence of wing geometric parameters on the wing structure and weight and the aircraft payload were taken into account. The optimal wing configuration was obtained using the genetic algorithms. Findings As a result, a set of wing geometrical parameters has been obtained that allowed for achieving twice as long endurance as compared with the initial one. Practical implications Using the methodology presented in the paper, an aircraft designer can easily find the optimum wing configuration of a designed aircraft, satisfying the mission requirements in a best way. Originality/value An original procedure has been developed, based on the actual design, wind tunnel tests and numerical calculations of “Samonit” aircraft, enabling the determination of optimum wing configuration for a small unmanned aircraft.

Isolating observer for simultaneous structural-actuator fault detection

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 118-133
Author(s):  
Hamed Pourazad ◽  
Javad Askari ◽  
Saeed Hosseinnia
Keyword(s):  
Fault Detection ◽  
Detection System ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Fault Isolation ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Fault Detection And Isolation ◽  
Simultaneous Occurrence ◽  
Detection Scheme ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Commercial Applications

Purpose Increasing commercial applications for small unmanned aircraft create growing challenges in providing safe flight conditions. The conventional measures to detect icing are either expensive, energy consuming or heavy. The purpose of this paper is to develop a fault identification and isolation scheme using unknown input observers to detect and isolate actuator and structural faults in simultaneous occurrence. Design/methodology/approach The fault detection scheme is based on a deviation in system parameters due to icing and lock-in-place (LIP), two faults from different categories with similar indications that require different reconfiguration actions. The obtained residual signals are selected to be triggered by desired faults, while insensitive to others. Findings The proposed observer is sensitive to both actuator and structural faults, and distinguishes simultaneous occurrences by insensitivity to LIP in selected residue signals. Simulation results confirm the success of the proposed system in the presence of uncertainty and disturbance. Research limitations/implications The fault detection and isolation scheme proposed here is based on the linear model of a winged aircraft, the Aerosonde. Moreover, the faults are applied to rudder and aileron in simulations, but the design procedure for other models is provided. The designed scheme could be further implemented on a non-linear aircraft model. Practical implications Applying the proposed icing detection scheme increases detection system reliability, since fault isolation enables timely reconfiguration schemes. Originality/value The observers proposed in previous papers detected icing fault but were not insensitive to actuator faults.

A multiscale homogenization procedure to predict the elasto-viscoplastic behavior of polymer-based nanocomposites

2021 ◽  
pp. 096739112110233
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hassan Shojaeefard ◽  
Abolfazl Khalkhali ◽  
Sharif Khakshournia
Keyword(s):  
Design Procedure ◽  
Polymeric Matrix ◽  
Elastic Behavior ◽  
Algorithm Optimization ◽  
Multiphase Materials ◽  
Rate Dependent ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
Compressive Loads ◽  
Structural Parts ◽  
The Impact

It has been demonstrated that adding a few percent of nanoscale reinforcements, leads to remarkable improvement in mechanical properties of the polymers such as stiffness, damping, and energy absorption. These lightweight materials are attractive substitutes for the heavy metallic structural parts in the automotive, military, aerospace and many other industries. However, due to complexity of these multiphase materials, accurate modeling of their behavior in real loading cases is still ambiguous. The impact simulation is a vital step in design procedure of a vehicle, where a strain rate-dependent model of its components is required. In this paper, an elasto-viscoplastic modeling procedure of the polymer-based nanocomposites, assuming the elastic behavior of the nano-phase is presented; whereas the polymeric matrix deformation is dependent to the loading rate and is characterized by the method of Genetic algorithm optimization-based fitting to the experimental observations. By introducing a modified Halpin-Tsai method, the nanocomposite is then modeled as a homogenized material where the modification algorithm is the main challenge. A combination of approaches including parametric analysis, central composite design of experiments and response surface method is proposed to modify the tangent modulus of the polymeric matrix to be passed as the input to the Halpin-Tsai equations. Finally, the procedure is implemented to a set of epoxy-GNP nanocomposites under unidirectional compressive loads with different rates and the stress-strain curves are predicted with a decent precision.

A novel parameterized digital-mask generation method for projection stereolithography in tissue engineering

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 935-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingke Li ◽  
Wangyu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Computer Aided Design ◽  
Boundary Region ◽  
Additive Manufacture ◽  
3D Scaffold ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Parameterized Design ◽  
High Efficient ◽  
Unit Cells ◽  
Conventional Methods ◽  
Projection Stereolithography

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the novel parameterized digital-mask generation method which is aimed at enhancing bio-scaffold’s fabricating efficiency with digital micro-mirror device (DMD)-based systems.Design/methodology/approachA method to directly generate the digital masks of bio-scaffolds without modeling the entire 3D scaffold models is presented. In most of the conventional methods, it is inefficient to dynamically modify the size of the structural unit cells during design, because it relies more or less on commercial computer aided design (CAD) platforms. The method proposed in this paper can achieve high efficient parameterized design, and it is independent from any CAD platforms. The generated masks in binary bitmap format can be used by the DMD-based to achieve scaffold’s additive manufacture. In conventional methods, the Boolean operation of the external surface and the internal architectures would result in the damage of unit cells in boundary region. These damaged unit cells not only lose its original mechanical property but also cause numbers of gaps and isolated features that would reduce the geometric accuracy of the fabricated scaffolds; the proposed method in this paper provides an approach to tackle this defect.FindingsThe results show that the proposed method can improve the digital masks generation efficiency.Practical implicationsThe proposed method can serve as an effective supplement to the slicing method in additive manufacture. It also provides a way to design and fabricate scaffolds with heterogeneous architectures.Originality/valueThis paper gives supports to fabricate bio-scaffold with DMD-based systems.

High-Efficiency Internal Combustion Engine Used in the Unmanned Aircraft

2015 ◽  
Vol 220-221 ◽  
pp. 928-933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristjan Tiimus ◽  
Mikk Murumäe ◽  
Eero Väljaots ◽  
Mart Tamre
Keyword(s):  
High Efficiency ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Flight Duration ◽  
Test Platform ◽  
Military Applications ◽  
Long Endurance ◽  
Variable Weather ◽  
Varying Demand

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are used predominately for military applications, despite a growing number of emerging civilian tasks. One of the key tasks for increasing the advantages over a manned aircraft are to extend the flight duration of the UAV. Long endurance flights demand an engine that adapts to variable weather and atmospheric conditions as well as to changes in altitude. Varying demand of the UAV for power is compared to determine the needs for our mid-class test platform. The paper presents a solution to a high-efficiency engine and suggests a test layout for assessing reliability and optimal performance.

Energetic, exergetic, exergoeconomic, environmental (4E) and sustainability performances of an unmanned aerial vehicle micro turbojet engine

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ozgur Balli ◽  
Alper Dalkıran ◽  
Tahir Hikmet Karakoç
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Maximum Energy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cost Rate ◽  
Turbojet Engine ◽  
Energy And Exergy ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Exergoeconomic Analysis ◽  
Engine Systems

Purpose This study aims to investigate the aviation, energetic, exergetic, environmental, sustainability and exergoeconomic performances of a micro turbojet engine used in unmanned aerial vehicles at four different modes. Design/methodology/approach The engine data were collected from engine test cell. The engine performance calculations were performed for four different operation modes. Findings According to the results, maximum energy and exergy efficiency were acquired as 19.19% and 18.079% at Mode 4. Total cost rate was calculated as 6.757 $/h at Mode-1, which varied to 10.131 $/h at Mode-4. Exergy cost of engine power was observed as 0.249 $/MJ at Mode-1, which decreased to 0.088 $/MJ at Mode-4 after a careful exergoeconomic analysis. Originality/value The novelty of this work is the capability to serve as a guide for similar systems with a detailed approach in the thermodynamic, thermoeconomic and environmental assessments by prioritizing efficiency, fuel consumption and cost formation. This investigation intends to establish a design of the opportunities and benefits that the thermodynamic approach provides to turbojet engine systems.

Responsibly regulating the civilian unmanned aerial vehicle deployment in India and Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjan Chamuah ◽  
Rajbeer Singh
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Responsible Innovation ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current Scenario ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Innovative Work ◽  
Trust Responsibility

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to describe the evolving regulatory structures of the civilian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in India and Japan, not yet fully developed to regulate the deployment of the UAV. India and Japan are at the forefront to overhaul the respective regulatory framework to address issues of accountability, responsibility and risks associated with the deployment of UAV technologies. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews are conducted both in Japan and India to gather primary data based on the snowball sampling method. The paper addresses questions such as what is the current scenario of civilian UAV deployment in India and Japan. What are the regulation structures for Civil UAV deployment and operation and how they differ in India and Japan? What are the key regulatory challenges for Civil UAV deployment in India? How regulation structure enables or inhibits the users and operators of Civil UAVs in India? What are mutual learnings concerning UAV regulations? Findings Findings reveal that the Indian regulations address issues of responsibility by imparting values of privacy, safety, autonomy and security; Japanese regulation prefers values of trust, responsibility, safety and ownership with more freedom to experiment. Originality/value The study on civilian UAV regulatory framework is a new and innovative work embedded by the dimensions of responsibility and accountability from a responsible innovation perspective. The work is a new contribution to innovation literature looked at from regulatory structures. Field visits to both Japan and India enrich the study to a new elevation.

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