Abstract
Dynamic soaring is a flight technique used by albatrosses and other birds to cover large distances without the expenditure of energy, which is extracted from the available wind conditions, as brightly perceived five centuries ago by Leonardo da Vinci. Closed dynamic soaring trajectories use spatial variations of wind speed to travel, in principle, indefinitely over a prescribed area. The application of the concept of closed dynamic soaring trajectories to aerial vehicles, such as UAVs, may provide a solution to improve the endurance in certain missions. The main limitation of dynamic soaring is its dependence on the wind characteristics. More than one century ago, Lord Rayleigh proposed a very simple model, based on the repeated crossing of a step wind profile, presently known as Rayleigh cycle, that provides a clear explanation of the physical phenomenon. The present paper studies the feasibility of closed, single-loop, energy-neutral trajectories for a broad set of wind and vehicle conditions. Through the use of trajectory optimization methods, it was possible to see how the shape of the wind profile, the initial flight conditions and the vehicle constraints influence the required wind strength to perform dynamic soaring trajectories and consequently their feasibility. It was possible to conclude that there are optimal values for the initial airspeed and initial height of the vehicle, that minimize the required wind strength. In addition, it was seen how the structural and aerodynamic constraints of the vehicle affect dynamic soaring at high and low airspeeds respectively. Finally, some new trajectories that can be performed in conditions of excess wind are proposed. The purpose is to maximize the time spent aloft and the path length while maintaining the concept of single-loop, energy-neutral trajectories, making them especially useful for aerial vehicles surveillance applications.
Highlights
The particular flight of sea-birds, especially albatrosses and pelicans, was always admired and repeatedly observed to understand the secret of flying without flapping the wings, as usually done by these birds in their flight.the way of flying, nowadays referred to as dynamic soaring, is obtained through specific maneuvers, that will be recalled
After a long period of time, Lord Rayleigh analyzed the problem with rare brightness together with more proper scientific tools and proposed a model, very simple but capable of providing a clear explanation of the physical phenomena
In the second half of the last century, along with the progress in aerodynamics and flight mechanics, many studies were conducted to interpret in mathematical terms the suggested model and to define the relevant equations for the search of the related trajectories
Summary
The particular flight of sea-birds, especially albatrosses and pelicans, was always admired and repeatedly observed to understand the secret of flying without flapping the wings, as usually done by these birds in their flight. The way of flying, nowadays referred to as dynamic soaring, is obtained through specific maneuvers, that will be recalled . The purpose is to extract energy from the wind to fly, even for long time, without working the wings to obtain the required.
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