Small UAV Research and Evolution in Long Endurance Electric Powered Vehicles

Logan, Michael J.; Chu, Julio; Motter, Mark A.; Carter, Dennis L.; Ol, Michael V.; Zeune, Cale

doi:10.2514/6.2007-2730

Cited by 38 publications

(23 citation statements)

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“…It was found after this work was performed that a similar argument for matching a propeller to a motor and aircraft was presented by Drela in[120] …”

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confidence: 54%

A Process for the Design and Manufacture of Propellers for Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Rutkay¹

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The objective of this research was to develop a process for the design and manufacture of mission-and aircraft-specific propellers for small unmanned aerial vehicles. This objective was met by creating a computer program to design a propeller that meets userdefined aircraft performance requirements within the limitations of the motor, material, and manufacturing methods. The use of additive manufacturing (3D printing) in making flightworthy propellers was explored through material testing and by manufacturing trials. By testing the propellers in simulated flight conditions, it was found that the propellers generated nearly the expected design thrust, but a series of manufacturing and instrumentation issues prevented a complete evaluation of their performance. Testing was sufficient to demonstrate the feasibility of flightworthy propellers produced through additive manufacturing. Future work for the further development of the design program was also outlined.iii

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“…It was found after this work was performed that a similar argument for matching a propeller to a motor and aircraft was presented by Drela in[120] …”

supporting

confidence: 54%

A Process for the Design and Manufacture of Propellers for Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Rutkay¹

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“…Strong concerns about the severity of global warming have increased the interest in so-called "green energy", prompting worldwide efforts to reduce anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. In line with such a global trend, electric-powered hybrid reconnaissance vehicles have already been commercialized and even electric-powered aircraft are under development (Logan et al 2007;Kim et al 2012;Schoemann and Hornung 2012). Today's small UAVs have evolved both in their design and in the technology they make use of.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

A hybrid propulsion system for a high-endurance UAV: configuration selection, aerodynamic study, and gas turbine bench tests

CapataR.

Marino

SciubbaE.

2014

J. Unmanned Veh. Sys.

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In recent years, renewed interest in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has led to a wide range of interesting applications in reconnaissance and surveillance. In these missions, the noise produced by propeller-driven UAVs is a major drawback, which can be partially solved by installing an electric motor to drive the propeller. While the evolution of high performance brushless motors makes electric propulsion particularly appealing, at least for small and medium UAVs, all electric propulsion systems developed to date are penalized by the limited range and endurance that can be provided by a reasonably sized battery pack. In this paper we propose a hybrid propulsion system based on a recently developed ultramicro gas–turbine (UMGT), which can be used to power an electric generator, providing a significant range and (or) mission time extension. The UMGT is undergoing operational testing in our laboratory, to identify the most suitable configuration and to improve performance: a new compact regenerative combustion chamber was developed and several tests are being carried out to reduce its weight and size so as to increase, all other things being equal, the vehicle payload. This paper aims to propose a high endurance UAV, by a preliminary configuration selection and aerodynamic study of its performanc

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“…The battery often represents one of the heaviest components of the entire vehicle [38]. One of the most common types of batteries is the lithium polymer (LiPo), which offers a relatively high energy capacity along with low weight.…”

Section: B Battery Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5. During the years, there has been a continuous, although fairly slow, improvement in the energy density of electrochemical batteries [23]. In the future, regenerative fuel cells may offer a major improvement of energy density above 400 W h=kg [47] and up to 2300 W h=kg [48].…”

Section: E Battery Energy Density B E Bmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Optimizing Electric Propulsion Systems for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Gur

Rosen

2009

Journal of Aircraft

125

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Design of an electric propulsion system for an unmanned aerial vehicle incorporates various disciplines such as the propeller's aerodynamic and structural properties, characteristics of the electric system, and characteristics of the vehicle itself. This makes the design of this propulsion system a multidisciplinary design optimization task. Although the present propeller model is based on previous derivations that are described very briefly, new models of the electric motor and battery pack, which are based on examining existing products on the market, are described in more detail. The propeller model and a model of the electric system, together with various optimization schemes, are used to design optimal propulsion systems for a mini unmanned aerial vehicle for various goals and under various constraints. Important design trends are presented, discussed, and explained. Although the first part of the investigation is based on typical characteristics of the electric system, the second part includes a sensitivity study of the influence of variations of these characteristics on the optimal system design. = vehicle mass without the propulsion system P in = electric system input power P out = motor output power P out-max = maximum motor output power R = propeller radius R a = motor resistance r = radial coordinate S W = wing area= driver efficiency P = propeller efficiency P-ideal = ideal propeller efficiency S = electric system efficiency a = air density = maximal von Mises stress = rotational speed

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Small UAV Research and Evolution in Long Endurance Electric Powered Vehicles

Cited by 38 publications

References 1 publication

A Process for the Design and Manufacture of Propellers for Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

A Process for the Design and Manufacture of Propellers for Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

A hybrid propulsion system for a high-endurance UAV: configuration selection, aerodynamic study, and gas turbine bench tests

Optimizing Electric Propulsion Systems for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

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