Computational Aeromechanics of a Manuevering Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with Variable-Incidence Wings

Abstract

The aerodynamics and flight mechanics of the dynamic maneuver of a low-speed propeller-powered puller-type unmanned aerial vehicle are modeled by solving the unsteady, incompressible Navier–Stokes equations and the six-degree-of-freedom rigid-body flight dynamics equations together. The flight maneuver of this unmanned aerial vehicle is accomplished by swiveling the outboard wings relative to the inboard wing fixed to the fuselage to change the angle of attack toward stall angle to slow down the unmanned aerial vehicle for symmetric as well as asymmetric flight conditions. To set the stage for a computational aeromechanics modeling, the performance characteristics of a propeller are assessed numerically first. Time-accurate unsteady, unmanned aerial vehicle aerodynamic characteristics are estimated on the basis of high-fidelity computational aerodynamics, and the flight trajectory of the unmanned aerial vehicle is computed as part of the overall computed solution, considering the variation of aerodynamic characteristics during the flight maneuver by coupling the aerodynamics and flight dynamics.