Withdrawal: Study of Wing Camber for Optimal Flight Efficiency of a Long-Endurance Solar-Powered Unmanned Aircraft

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.

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Aerodynamic and structural design for the development of a MALE UAV

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology ◽

10.1108/aeat-01-2017-0031 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 90 (7) ◽

pp. 1077-1087 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

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.

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Impact of solar storms on high altitude long endurance unmanned aircraft and airship design and operations

The Aeronautical Journal ◽

10.1017/s0001924000001482 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 110 (1111) ◽

pp. 623-626 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

L. R. Newcome

Keyword(s):

High Altitude ◽

Space Weather ◽

Research Data ◽

Unmanned Aircraft ◽

Storm Effects ◽

Solar Storm ◽

Solar Storms ◽

Hr Roles ◽

New Research ◽

Long Endurance

Abstract This paper applies existing information on solar storms to unmanned aviation; no new research data is presented. The purpose of this paper is to alert the unmanned aviation community to the potential hazards posed by solar storms, to familiarise it with the effects of solar storms and how to mitigate them, and to encourage research on solar storm effects on high altitude long endurance (HALE) aircraft and airship design and operations. As unmanned aircraft and airships move increasingly into high altitude (50,000+ft), endurance (24+ hr) roles, they will become vulnerable to the effects of space weather, specifically that of solar storms. Although solar storms are commonly associated with their impact on satellites, they affect the routing and timing of airline flights flying for six to eight hours at 30,000 to 40,000ft. Operating twice as high and with flight times twice as long (or longer) than those of airliners, HALE aircraft and airships occupy a middle zone of vulnerability, being more so than airliners but less so than satellites. A key difference however is that satellites are designed for space weather, whereas some current HALE vehicles are not. The paper concludes that unmanned HALE aircraft and airships can be one to three orders of magnitude more vulnerable to solar storms than a trans-Pacific airliner.

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