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A Hybrid Vehicle for Aerial and Terrestrial Locomotion

Bachmann, Richard Joseph
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1232735399

Abstract Details

2009, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, EMC - Mechanical Engineering.
A durable hybrid vehicle has been developed capable of both aerial and terrestrial locomotion. The motivation for the work was a wide range of sensor deployment scenarios that would benefit from a vehicle capable of 1) flying long distances to a target area and 2) walking around the target to perform near-field inspection. A technology survey was performed to identify the candidate terrestrial and aerial locomotion technologies for integration. The Mini-Whegs robot, developed at Case Western Reserve University, was selected as the terrestrial running gear, and the flexible-wing micro air vehicle (MAV), developed at University of Florida, was selected as the aerial platform. A rigorous trade-off analysis led to a remote control prototype that had a fully functional airframe augmented with two R/C servos, modified for continuous rotation, driving independent music wire wheel-legs at the front of the vehicle. This vehicle achieved most of the original performance requirements. It could fly, land, crawl, and regain flight by crawling off the edge of a rooftop. A critical performance evaluation illuminated improvements to the design and fabrication necessary to create a viable hybrid vehicle for field deployment. The vehicle design and fabrication processes were overhauled to improve the durability and reproducibility of the final design. A custom-built terrestrial locomotion subsystem, with compliance in the drive train, was crucial to improved durability. CNC fabrication of the fuselage mold and a one-piece tail design were central to repeatability. A commercially available autopilot was implemented for autonomous operation. Vehicle mass increased from 118 to 365 grams. The wingspan was subsequently increased to 16", but wing loading increased from 37 to 64 N/m2. A corresponding decrease in controllability was observed. Winglets were found to increase lift, but decrease stability by mitigating wing flexibility. The final vehicle was able to fly, land, and crawl repeatedly. Over 8 flights (and landings) have been performed by the vehicle, and the vehicle has yet to show any signs of damage. The vehicle cruises at 14 m/s and crawls at 0.33 m/s (0.8 body lengths per second). For comparison, a typical Mini-Whegs runs at 5 body lengths per second.
Roger Quinn, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Joseph Prahl, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Kiju Lee, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Mark Willis, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Ravi Vaidyanathan, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
143 p.
Mechanical Engineering
hybrid; locomotion; MAV; Whegs; terrestrial; aerial; integration

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Bachmann, R. J. (2009). A Hybrid Vehicle for Aerial and Terrestrial Locomotion [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1232735399

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Bachmann, Richard. A Hybrid Vehicle for Aerial and Terrestrial Locomotion. 2009. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1232735399.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Bachmann, Richard. "A Hybrid Vehicle for Aerial and Terrestrial Locomotion." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1232735399

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1232735399
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© 2009, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.