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AN INVESTIGATION INTO DELTA WING AERODYNAMICS WITH APPLICATION TO UNMANNED AIRCRAFT IN HIGH ALTITUDE FLIGHT

Eddy, Andito Donisha
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1532037956695845

Abstract Details

2018, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Aero/Astro Engineering.
Research and development for unmanned aerial vehicles has increased in recent years, especially with application in the civilian market. High altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicles are of high interest. At high altitudes, a density loss is endured, which causes a loss in lift; a way to circumvent this loss is to have a large planform area. Vehicles with a large planform will have difficulty performing at low altitudes with heavy turbulent weather. To avoid catastrophic events that could occur at low altitudes for high aspect ratio wings, an unmanned aerial vehicle model that is capable of altering its size is ideal. A delta wing unmanned aerial vehicle with a morphing function that allows it to change its leading-edge sweep angle is investigated to address weather at low altitudes. An initial concept for an unmanned aerial vehicle design is a flexible polyamide film for the primary lifting surface wing. The unmanned aerial vehicle utilizing a flexible material is beneficial since it allows for a morphing function during climb and descent, while also saving on weight. Wind tunnel results for the flexible wing performed lower than a rigid wing during testing. Since a numerical study of a flexible wing was quite difficult, a study of a rigid delta wing was executed to provide a baseline comparison for the future design of a flexible wing unmanned aerial vehicle. The design of interest consists of 3 leading edge sweeps: 30°, 45°, and 60°. The 3 models were tested at a range of angle of attacks at multiple altitudes. Aerodynamic forces along with the pressure distributions over the upper and lower surfaces and the velocity fields were analyzed. The flow fields and pressure distribution for the model variations did not change as altitude was gained. The loss in forces can be attributed to the density loss during climb. The delta wing performance parameters were determined at cruise conditions. The numerical results show that regardless of the leading-edge sweep and altitude, the vehicle should operate at lift coefficients within a range of 0.1864 – 0.2230 to maintain the maximum lift to drag ratio, determined from simulations. Further investigation into a flexible morphing model would be ideal.
Clifford Whitfield, Dr (Advisor)
Richard Freuler, Dr (Committee Member)
Padgett Greg (Committee Member)
99 p.
Aerospace Engineering
CFD, UAV, Delta Wing, Aerodynamics, High-Altitude

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Eddy, A. D. (2018). AN INVESTIGATION INTO DELTA WING AERODYNAMICS WITH APPLICATION TO UNMANNED AIRCRAFT IN HIGH ALTITUDE FLIGHT [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1532037956695845

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Eddy, Andito. AN INVESTIGATION INTO DELTA WING AERODYNAMICS WITH APPLICATION TO UNMANNED AIRCRAFT IN HIGH ALTITUDE FLIGHT . 2018. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1532037956695845.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Eddy, Andito. "AN INVESTIGATION INTO DELTA WING AERODYNAMICS WITH APPLICATION TO UNMANNED AIRCRAFT IN HIGH ALTITUDE FLIGHT ." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1532037956695845

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1532037956695845
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© 2018, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License AN INVESTIGATION INTO DELTA WING AERODYNAMICS WITH APPLICATION TO UNMANNED AIRCRAFT IN HIGH ALTITUDE FLIGHT by Andito Donisha Eddy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.