Design, Dynamics and Development of Upgraded Tiltable Wing associated Quadcopter through Advanced computational...

This paper aims to design a hybrid quadcopter that can be used for multiple detecting applications in which its performance parameters are studied under various maneuverings such as forward and vertical movements based on computational studies. In order to enhance the endurance, the conventional rectangular cross-sectional arm was replaced by airfoil cross sectional arm which helps in reduction of overall drag. The proposed idea is a combination of both tilt wing and tilt rotor configurations to the hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle (HUAV). The CAD modeling of UAV components such as wing and propeller is done using Autodesk Fusion 360 and the fluid flow analysis is carried out using ANSYS Workbench 23 software. Different test cases including the Computational fluid dynamics (CFD), Fluid structure interaction (FSI) analysis are executed to estimate the performance of the configuration. Analyzing from a stability point of view, a mathematical model was designed for control of altitude increment, hold and forward velocity accordingly, and tuning of the controller was taken over. This UAV is capable of attaining stability during harsh environments which is analyzed using control dynamics study and controller design processes executed. As a preliminary work for validation, grid convergence study is performed to obtain reliable outcome for the computational study taken over, in addition to the execution of analytical validation for estimation of aerodynamic forces and deflection of wing due to impingement of drag force over frontal area of wing and experimental validations to determine the thrust produced by propeller. The steady fluid flow analysis is carried over for wing planform and transient flow analysis is done for both vertical and forward propellers using advanced CFD techniques. Based on the FSI approach, structural analysis was carried over for wing and propeller through which the material selection was done. From which, GY-70-CFRP composite was concluded as the best performing material by analyzing the performance parameters including total deformation etc., among various different imposed materials based on aerodynamical loading. Interpreting from the performed analyses, the proposed configuration seems to operate at less power considering the lift forces induced, which also enables it to reach better altitudes at less RPM. The structural efficiency happens to be achieved due to the reduction in the RPM as there is a contribution in lift production as the angle of attack of the proposed wing increases, which also decreases rotors' burden during forward motion and other maneuverings.