Structural design and parameter optimization of vector brackets for vertical take-off and landing unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Abstract

By carrying out a central composite design (CCD) test, 49 sample points of the four particular factors were constructed. The lift-to-drag ratio and thrust coefficient were simulated under different structural parameter combinations using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method. CFD simulation was verified by carrying out a wind tunnel test, and the results revealed that the thrust coefficient error was less than 9% while the lift-to-drag ratio error was less than 8%. The response surface methodology (RSM) for the lift-to-drag ratio and thrust coefficient was established using a Kriging algorithm. A multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) was used to optimize the parameters with regard to the maximum lift-to-drag ratio and maximum thrust coefficient. The optimal structural parameters were valve diameter at 31 mm, vector bracket length at 51 mm, fixed bracket width at 69 mm, and fixed bracket length at 168. Compared to the original model, the thrust coefficient increased by 19%, and the lift-to-drag ratio did not decrease.