Analysis of Airflow Characteristics of Different Models of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles or drones have become popular in civil as well as military operations in recent years. Such developments call for new UAV designs that are able to perform a variety of missions. A UAV is an aircraft that operates independently or is operated remotely without occupant on board. This feature makes the system safer and cheaper than manned systems as indicated in the following sub-sections. In this paper, the authors pay attention to the assessment of aerodynamic characteristics of two different UAV models through CFD analysis. In the simulations, factors like the drag coefficient, lift, and velocity vectors were examined to enhance the UAV characteristics. In the flow pattern of Model 1, the airflow was strongly bounded to the UAV surface and hence high velocity zones and strong wing lift were observed. However, Model 2 had flow separation at the wing trailing edge; this increases drag and can lead to aerodynamic problems. The results of the simulation show that Model 1 had a higher lift and drag force of 15.162505 N and 16.392923 N respectively while Model 2 had almost no effect on the lift and drag forces. These differences can be explained by differences in the shape of the wings and the approach used in their design. Further, this research analyzed the effects of the wing loading on the UAV performance in the stall speed, climb rate, takeoff distance, and efficiency. These results indicate that CFD has a significant function in identifying the aerodynamics that offer understanding of UAVs with better performance. This research benefits the field of UAV and enhances the performance in both military and civil fields.