Characteristics of Ground Effects of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with High-aspect-ratio Flying Wings during Take-Off

This undergraduate paper demonstrates the design, analysis, and manufacturing of a rocket deployable electric powered experimental unmanned aerial vehicle. The design process begins with defining the volume and dimensions of the allocated payload space for the UAV in the rocket. These dimensions are given by the aerostructures sub team in the Ryerson Rocketry Club. The dimensions given were used to determine the best configuration for the mission. The wing loading, power loading and endurance of the UAV are obtained from the constrained payload volume in the rocket and the avionics system of the of the UAV. The wing area, UAV weight and power requirements were calculated based on the previously determined values. The power requirement determines the motor size and propeller configuration. Aerodynamics, stability, and control were based the selected airfoil and obtained wing area. After completing the design, foam, additive manufacturing, and composite layups were used to create prototypes of the UAV. These prototypes were used to iterate the aircraft and address any immediate changes. The chosen design is a foldable flying wing, once deployed from the rocket has a wingspan of 70 inches, an aspect ratio of 13.35 and a surface area of 367 in2 . A prototype was created to prove the design feasibility of the UAV. The prototype proved to function as planned, capable of gliding, powered flight, and takeoff.

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Design and Analysis of a Rocket-Deployed Flying-Wing UAV

10.32920/ryerson.14635701 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yukei Oyama

Keyword(s):

Additive Manufacturing ◽

Aspect Ratio ◽

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽

Wing Loading ◽

Wing Area ◽

Power Requirement ◽

Stability And Control ◽

Power Loading ◽

Aerial Vehicle ◽

And Control

This undergraduate paper demonstrates the design, analysis, and manufacturing of a rocket deployable electric powered experimental unmanned aerial vehicle. The design process begins with defining the volume and dimensions of the allocated payload space for the UAV in the rocket. These dimensions are given by the aerostructures sub team in the Ryerson Rocketry Club. The dimensions given were used to determine the best configuration for the mission. The wing loading, power loading and endurance of the UAV are obtained from the constrained payload volume in the rocket and the avionics system of the of the UAV. The wing area, UAV weight and power requirements were calculated based on the previously determined values. The power requirement determines the motor size and propeller configuration. Aerodynamics, stability, and control were based the selected airfoil and obtained wing area. After completing the design, foam, additive manufacturing, and composite layups were used to create prototypes of the UAV. These prototypes were used to iterate the aircraft and address any immediate changes. The chosen design is a foldable flying wing, once deployed from the rocket has a wingspan of 70 inches, an aspect ratio of 13.35 and a surface area of 367 in2 . A prototype was created to prove the design feasibility of the UAV. The prototype proved to function as planned, capable of gliding, powered flight, and takeoff.

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A computational fluid dynamics investigation of subsonic wing designs for unmanned aerial vehicle application

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part G Journal of Aerospace Engineering ◽

10.1177/0954410019852553 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 233 (15) ◽

pp. 5543-5552

Author(s):

Z Siddiqi ◽

JW Lee

Keyword(s):

Fluid Dynamics ◽

Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽

Aspect Ratio ◽

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽

Wing Design ◽

Ansys Fluent ◽

High Lift ◽

Aerial Vehicle ◽

Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations ◽

Dynamics Simulations

The wing of an unmanned aerial vehicle, RQ-7 Shadow, is modified to study the changes in the aerodynamics of the wing. The main focus is to investigate the effects of changing the components of wing design when the aircraft climbs and accelerates. These component modifications included changing the airfoil, planform, aspect ratio, and adding a winglet. Another objective is to study the efficacy of employing high-lift airfoils like the EPPLER 559 for subsonic unmanned aerial vehicle applications. For this, five wing designs are considered in this paper. Computational fluid dynamics simulations using ANSYS FLUENT® are conducted for each wing design. The C L /C D ratios for all the wings are calculated at increasing angles of attack (simulating Climbing) and increasing speed (simulating Acceleration). Compared to the NACA 4415 airfoil, which is utilized by the RQ-7 Shadow, the EPPLER 559 provides an increase in lift at the low angles of attack, but yields less of these benefits as the angle of attack increases. The tapered planform significantly reduces the high drag associated with the EPPLER 559 airfoil. The generation of higher lift forces with lower drag is further achieved by increasing the aspect ratio and through the addition of a winglet. When compared to the NACA 4415 airfoil, it is concluded that the EPPLER 559 airfoil is a viable candidate for subsonic unmanned aerial vehicle applications only when the components of wing design are altered. The performance of the wings that employ the EPPLER 559 airfoil improves when the planform is changed from rectangular to tapered, when the aspect ratio is increased and when a winglet is added.

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