Wing Optimization Design Based on Composite Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Abstract

Composite materials have become the approach to solve the high stiffness and light weight of unmanned aerial vehicle structures. The wing had an extremely important influence on the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The optimal composite wing design aroused widespread attention since it enhanced the aerodynamic performance of unmanned aerial vehicles. This article was intended to optimize and design the unmanned aerial vehicle with advantages in aerodynamic performance. According to the parameters of the military-civilian integrated unmanned aerial vehicle, a three-dimensional model of the overall structure of the composite Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle was designed. The effect of composite materials on the wing and the optimization of the laminate layup structure were studied. XFLR5 software was utilized to analyze the aerodynamic performance of the wing. The original NACA0012 airfoil and the optimized NACA3412 airfoil of the composite Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle were analyzed respectively for structure and performance. XFLR5 software was utilized to conduct flight simulation under the set parameters, and the effect of changing the angle of attack on the wing performance was analyzed. The results demonstrated that the optimized wing outperformed the original wing in terms of the lift, drag, torque, and lift-drag ratio.