Design and Analysis of A Micro Class UAV Integrating Zimmerman Configuration
Design and Analysis of A Micro Class UAV Integrating Zimmerman Configuration
A. Vought V-173
The Vought V-173, affectionately dubbed the "Flying
Pancake," is an iconic experimental aircraft renowned for its
distinctive appearance and innovative aerodynamic design.
Originating during World War II, the V-173 was
commissioned by Chance Vought to explore the
unconventional concepts of designer Charles H. Zimmerman. Fig 2: Vought XF5U
Despite its peculiar look, the Flying Pancake not only
captivates with its unique aesthetics but also astonishes with C. Boeing X-48
its exceptional flight performance. The Boeing X-48 is U.S experimental unmanned aerial
vehiclewhich has a blended wing and flying wing design. The
Earning various nicknames, including the "Flying Blended Wing Body concept was developed in the
Pancake," this aircraft became one of the pioneering collaboration of NASA Langley Research Centre and Boeing
examples of vertical short takeoff and landing capabilities. Phantom Works. It is made of composite material. Boeing
Developed under a U.S. Navy contract, the V-173 took to the designed two versions of X-48 built by Cranfield Aerospace
skies for the first time on November 23, 1942. Its propulsion in UK. X-48B was modified into X-48C which was flight
was provided by two 80 HP Continental A-80 engines, tested between 2012 and 2013. Boeing and NASA tend to
contributing to its experimental prowess and historical develop larger aircrafts of this type.
significance.
The initial weight build-up of the complete model is surfaces. Elevons are a combination of elevators and ailerons
shown in the table above that is weight of model without pay which controls the rolling and pitching moment. Yawing
load 1.4 Kgs and weight of model with payload 2 Kgs. moment is produced by the tail fin placed at the end of the
wing trailing edge. But by any tail configuration the main
B. Configuration Selection functions to be satisfied are given below:
Table 4: S5010 Airfoil parameters Considering all factors, the Zimmerman planform was
Ncrit 9 chosen to optimize performance. In addition, the aircraft's
Re 3,12000 weight buildup totals 2 kilograms. The stall speed required
Cl at AOA 11 1.1964 for lift off is determined to be 8 meters per second.
CD at AOA 11 0.02652
CL max 1.0767
Cd0 0.00768
Max CL/CD 9.98
Design of Wing
Throughout the entire design process, the wing assumes
a pivotal and central role, functioning as the cornerstone of
the aircraft. Serving as the primary source of lift generation,
wings significantly influence the performance of any airborne
vehicle. Circulation around the wing tips contributes to lift
production while simultaneously increasing drag. The
spacing of wing tips varies with aspect ratio, directly Fig. 6: Design of Wing
impacting stalling angles. Lower aspect ratio wings tend to
stall at higher angles compared to their high aspect ratio
counterparts.
Payload Bay
The following dimensions of pay load is final payload
constraints. The above dimensional constraint of payload bay
dimension is the internal dimensions of the box that should be
equal to that of payload which must be fitted into the payload
box.
E. Control Surface Sizing aileron and elevator surfaces at his disposal. Elevon span is
To determine the stability and maneuverability it is 15-25% of wingspan and 5 to 10% of root chord.
essential tohave an appropriate control surface sizing. Since
the horizontal tail is not present the elevator and ailerons are
on the same control surface and the rudder is set on tail fin.
Elevons Sizing
A very fundamental and primary function of elevators
and ailerons is to establish safe flight in longitudinal and
lateral direction respectively. Elevons are also known as
tailerons. The combination of functions of elevator and the
aileron through the same control surface forms the name
elevons. At the trailing edge of the aircrafts wing elevons are
installed on each side. The elevons of the aircraft are
controlled by the transmitter as though the pilot has separate Fig 10: Elevon Sizing
Rudder Sizing conditions, where increased drag from control surfaces causes
Situated at the trailing end of the vertical stabilizer, the the nose to deviate further from the intended trajectory.
rudder connects to the fixed section via hinges. Functioning
as the primary control surface for flight management, the
rudder rotates around the vertical axis. Its main purpose is to
regulate and induce yaw motions in the aircraft. Notably, the
rudder does not directly facilitate turning during flight; rather,
it adjusts the orientation of the aircraft's nose. Typically,
banking the aircraft to one side, achieved through ailerons or
spoilers, initiates a turn.
F. Drag Estimation the thrust required increases by the overcome the drag force.
As we know drag is an aerodynamic force which is Not only that higher thrust means larger propulsive system
along the direction of flow of the aircraft. From all the means more weight, hence drag is a huge factor. Since in our
different types of drag, it is cut down to mainly two different case we don’t have horizontal tail, it reduces weight
types. They are parasite and induced drag. The drag force compared to other aircrafts with tail. Due to the aerodynamic
directly affects the power requirements, as the drag increases nature of our aircraft, it decreases parasite drag.
A. Servo Sizing
The servo size depends upon the force exerted by the flow onto the control surface and the distance between the control
surface and push rod. The above two parameters give us the approximate amount of torque required to deflect the control surface.
momentary capability where the aircraft can swiftly alter its constant altitude while altering its velocity vector to change
direction, albeit with the potential for a subsequent decrease direction within a horizontal plane. In a coordinated turn, the
in maximum performance. aircraft experiences zero sideslip, ensuring that the level turn
remains primarily a longitudinal challenge.
One of the most common turning maneuvers executed
by aircraft is the level turn, wherein the aircraft maintains a
Fig 17: Pressure Contour of Airfoil Fig 19: Pressure Contour of flow over wing
Fig 18: Eddy Vorticity Flow Fig 20: Velocity Contour of Flow Over Wing
C. Wing Analysis The unmanned aerial vehicle CFD analysis has been
The focus is to study and to understand wing design. A done in Solid Works and ANSYS. To provide the aircraft an
standard 3D wing validation has been completed before the ideal design CFD analysis plays a vital role, qualitative and
designed wing analysis is performed. wing geometry has been quantitative information congregated which helped us to
modelled and full viscous flow has been calculated for the verify airfoil selection wing and fuselage design prior to the
velocity 8 m/sec at angles of attack 0 to 11 at the same time of consuming fabrication process. The lift, drag, stall
Reynolds number 3,12,000. The wing analysis has been done angle and lift to drag ratio have been determined.
with xflr5 software and CFD ANSYS.
REFERENCES