Physical Modeling, Simulation and Validation of Small Fixed-Wing UAV

Abstract

The flight dynamics of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) exhibits substantial nonlinear features which should not be ignored in simulation or analysis. In this work, a complete six degrees of freedom (6DOF) and high-fidelity simulation model of a case study of a small fixed-wing UAV is developed. To accurately estimate the nonlinear UAV’s mathematical model, the mass-inertia properties are investigated through experiments. Moreover, the aerodynamic model characteristics are estimated using a semi-empirical technique to estimate the aerodynamic coefficients and derivatives. The propulsion system’s physical characteristics are estimated and analyzed through experimental measurements. The International Standard Atmosphere (ISA) tables are used to develop the atmospheric model. Furthermore, the actuation model is estimated and validated experimentally through system identification techniques. These estimated sub-model data are integrated to complete the nonlinear flight dynamics model in MATLAB® (Simulink). The UAV trim calculations are graphically derived and then the developed model is tested and verified. The open loop simulation results have proved the superiority of the utilized model techniques to describe the UAV motion. Moreover, it gives very optimistic results to test the flight dynamics of the UAV and design a consistent flight control and guidance system.