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This paper presents an analysis of selected propulsion units dedicated to test stands for unmanned aircraft systems. It focuses on engines suitable for aircraft with a maximum take-off mass up to 150 kg. The study includes an analysis of propulsion units that can be used to power systems on stationary test stands dedicated to advanced research and measurement of prototype aerospace technologies intended for use in rotorcraft. The analysis of propulsion units shows that electric units are a better choice for powering UAV rotorcraft test stands. Their main advantages include the possibility to simplify the construction of the device by eliminating gears and to mount the motor in a vertical position, simpler power supply, cooling and control systems and the lack of an exhaust system. Additional advantages are undoubtedly lower vibration generation, cheaper and easier operation as well as better comfort.

The article presents the results of analysis of operational parameters of piston engine CA 912 ULT which is a propulsion system of ultralight gyroplane Tercel produced by Aviation Artur Trendak. Research was conducted under normal operating conditions of the autogyro and data was collected from 20 independent tests including a total of 28 flight hours, divided into training flights and competition flights.Engine speed, manifold air pressure and temperature, fuel pressure, injection time, and head temperature were recorded at 9 Hz during each flight. Collective results were presented to show the statistical analyses of the individual parameters by determining the mean values, standard deviations and histograms of the distribution of these parameters. Histograms of operating points defined by both engine speed and manifold air pressure were also determined. Analyses of the engine dynamics as a distribution of the rate of change of the engine rotational speed were also carried out. It was shown that the engine operating points are concentrated mainly in the range of idle and power above 50% of nominal power. The most frequent range is 70-80% of nominal power. It was also shown that the dynamics of engine work in real operating conditions is small. It was also shown that the way of use significantly influences the distribution of operating points. During training flights, an increase in the number of take-offs and landings causes an increase in the amount of engine work at take-off and nominal power and at idle.

This paper investigates the strenght of a conceptual main rotor blade dedicated to an unmanned helicopter. The blade is made of smart materials in order to optimize the efficiency of the aircraft by increasing its aerodynamic performance. This purpose was achieved by performing a series of strength calculations for the blade of a prototype main rotor used in an unmanned helicopter. The calculations were done with the Finite Element Method (FEM) and software like CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering) which uses advanced techniques of computer modeling of load in composite structures. Our analysis included CAD (Computer-Aided Design) modeling the rotor blade, importing the solid model into the CAE software, defining the simulation boundary conditions and performing strength calculations of the blade spar for selected materials used in aviation, i.e. fiberglass and carbon fiber laminate. This paper presents the results and analysis of the numerical calculations.

ResumeThis paper presents an analysis of the strength of a prototype test rig for testing rotors of unmanned aerial vehicles. Digital design software was used for the design work that covered the creation of a virtual model of the test rig and strength analysis of its key elements. The paper discusses the test rig solutions, applied to date, of the small main rotor research. From the assumed operational parameters and structural parameters of the rotor, the main forces acting on the designed structure were determined: lifting force, reaction torque and empty mass of the test rig. Suitable actuators of the control system enabling the regulation of the total pitch and periodic pitch of the rotor, within the full range of the angle of attack, were selected for the rotor under test. The FEM (Finite Element Method) strength analysis was carried out for the proposed support structure and the correctness of the design was verified.