Abstract
This study aims at investigating the synergy between powertrain and structure within the design process of a fixed-wing tail-sitter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The UAV is equipped with a pure-electric power system and has vertical take-off and landing capabilities (VTOL). The problem is addressed by running a contemporary optimization of the parameters of both the powertrain and the UAV’s structure, in order to maximize electric endurance and payload weight through the usage of a performant multi-objective evolutionary algorithm named SMS-EMOA. Three different designs are selected, discussed and compared with literature results on the same UAV to quantify the increase of payload and cruise time that can be obtained by exploiting the synergy between structure and powertrain. The potentiality of furtherly improving payload through the usage of multi-functional panels, while keeping the same endurance, is also quantified and compared with the technologies proposed in literature.
Highlights
The superior energy density of hydrocarbon fuels makes them a favourite technology for aircraft propulsion and mobility in general
This study addresses the potentiality of exploiting such synergy by performing the contemporary optimization of structure and all-electric powertrain for a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)
It is found that thanks to the synergy between aircraft design and powertrain, it is possible to obtain enhancements in the target performances
Summary
The superior energy density of hydrocarbon fuels makes them a favourite technology for aircraft propulsion and mobility in general. Technical barriers prevent full-electric propulsion systems to reach values of energy storage density (and endurance) comparable with hydrocarbon fuels. For this reason, pure-electric propulsion is still unconceivable for large aircraft, such as commercial planes, unless new technologies are developed for batteries. Pure-electric propulsion is still unconceivable for large aircraft, such as commercial planes, unless new technologies are developed for batteries On the contrary, it is more and more frequently used as the aerial vehicle size decreases [1], such as for small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call