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Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have gained significant attention in recent times due to their suitability for a wide variety of civil, military, and societal missions. Development of an unmanned amphibious vehicle integrating the features of a multi-rotor UAV and a hovercraft is the focus of the present study. Components and subsystems of the amphibious vehicle are developed with due consideration for aerodynamic, structural, and environmental aspects. Finite element analysis (FEA) on static thrust conditions and skirt pressure are performed to evaluate the strength of the structure. For diverse wind conditions and angles of attack (AOA), computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis is carried out to assess the effect of drag and suitable design modification is suggested. A prototype is built with a 7 kg payload capacity and successfully tested for stable operations in flight and water-borne modes. Internet of things (IoT) based water quality measurement is performed in a typical lake and water quality is measured using pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, and electrical conductivity (EC) sensors. The developed vehicle is expected to meet functional requirements of disaster missions catering to the water quality monitoring of large water bodies.

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PurposeThe aim of this article is to minimize the drag of an unmanned amphibious aerial vehicle (UAAV) and enhancing the endurance.Design/methodology/approachVarious surface geometrical profiles such as rectangular, semicircular groove, razor blade and V-groove riblets are incorporated into the UAAV, and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis is performed for various angles of attack at diverse vehicle speed conditions to estimate the coefficient of drag considering k–e turbulence model. Comparative evaluation between riblet and blunt body shape methodology is performed. Wind tunnel experiments are conducted to validate the flow characteristics around the UAAV.FindingsIt is observed that V-groove riblet method produced minimal drag in comparison with other profiles. The pressure distributions around UAAV for various geometrical profiles suggested that V-groove profile has achieved minimal vortex region, flow separation and turbulent boundary layer near to the outer profile.Originality/valueThe CFD analysis of UAAV for various riblet configurations and validation with wind tunnel smoke test confirms that UAAV with V-groove riblet provides low drag.

Engine is the heart of aircraft, which makes other systems dependent on it for their proper function.This arise the situation to use an engine with high efficiency and reliability. In spite of all other types of engine, Gas turbine engine is the best suited one for modern transportation. To make the engine effective, its control system plays a vital role. In this paper all about the engine control system are discussed such as its usage, types, architecture, constraints and its future needs.