Conceptual Design of an Unmanned Fixed-Wing Aerial Vehicle Based on Alternative Energy
This paper focuses on the aerodynamics and design of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on solar cells as a main power source. The procedure includes three phases: the conceptual design, preliminary design, and a computational fluid dynamics analysis of the vehicle. One of the main disadvantages...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2019-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Aerospace Engineering |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/8104927 |
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| _version_ | 1832553271793811456 |
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| author | Alan G. Escobar-Ruiz Omar Lopez-Botello Luis Reyes-Osorio Patricia Zambrano-Robledo Luis Amezquita-Brooks Octavio Garcia-Salazar |
| author_facet | Alan G. Escobar-Ruiz Omar Lopez-Botello Luis Reyes-Osorio Patricia Zambrano-Robledo Luis Amezquita-Brooks Octavio Garcia-Salazar |
| author_sort | Alan G. Escobar-Ruiz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper focuses on the aerodynamics and design of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on solar cells as a main power source. The procedure includes three phases: the conceptual design, preliminary design, and a computational fluid dynamics analysis of the vehicle. One of the main disadvantages of an electric UAV is the flight time; in this sense, the challenge is to create an aerodynamic design that can increase the endurance of the UAV. In this research, the flight mission starts with the attempt of the vehicle design to get at the maximum altitude; then, the UAV starts to glide and battery charge recovery is achieved due to the solar cells. A conceptual design is used, and the aerodynamic analysis is focused on a UAV as a gliding vehicle, with the calculations starting with the estimation of weight and aerodynamics and finishing this stage with the best glide angle. In fact, the aerodynamic analysis is obtained for a preliminary design; this step involves the wing, fuselage, and empennage of the UAV. In order to achieve the preliminary design, an estimation of aerodynamic coefficients, along with computational fluid dynamics analysis, is performed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-80d0ee34f6c94754b2ba7820b702a888 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-5966 1687-5974 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Aerospace Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-80d0ee34f6c94754b2ba7820b702a8882025-02-03T05:54:28ZengWileyInternational Journal of Aerospace Engineering1687-59661687-59742019-01-01201910.1155/2019/81049278104927Conceptual Design of an Unmanned Fixed-Wing Aerial Vehicle Based on Alternative EnergyAlan G. Escobar-Ruiz0Omar Lopez-Botello1Luis Reyes-Osorio2Patricia Zambrano-Robledo3Luis Amezquita-Brooks4Octavio Garcia-Salazar5Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica, Centro de Investigacion e Innovacion en Ingenieria Aeronautica, UANL-FIME-CIIIA, Apodaca, Nuevo Leon, MexicoLaboratorio Nacional de Manufactura Aditiva y Digital, MexicoUniversidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica, Centro de Investigacion e Innovacion en Ingenieria Aeronautica, UANL-FIME-CIIIA, Apodaca, Nuevo Leon, MexicoUniversidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica, Centro de Investigacion e Innovacion en Ingenieria Aeronautica, UANL-FIME-CIIIA, Apodaca, Nuevo Leon, MexicoUniversidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica, Centro de Investigacion e Innovacion en Ingenieria Aeronautica, UANL-FIME-CIIIA, Apodaca, Nuevo Leon, MexicoUniversidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica, Centro de Investigacion e Innovacion en Ingenieria Aeronautica, UANL-FIME-CIIIA, Apodaca, Nuevo Leon, MexicoThis paper focuses on the aerodynamics and design of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on solar cells as a main power source. The procedure includes three phases: the conceptual design, preliminary design, and a computational fluid dynamics analysis of the vehicle. One of the main disadvantages of an electric UAV is the flight time; in this sense, the challenge is to create an aerodynamic design that can increase the endurance of the UAV. In this research, the flight mission starts with the attempt of the vehicle design to get at the maximum altitude; then, the UAV starts to glide and battery charge recovery is achieved due to the solar cells. A conceptual design is used, and the aerodynamic analysis is focused on a UAV as a gliding vehicle, with the calculations starting with the estimation of weight and aerodynamics and finishing this stage with the best glide angle. In fact, the aerodynamic analysis is obtained for a preliminary design; this step involves the wing, fuselage, and empennage of the UAV. In order to achieve the preliminary design, an estimation of aerodynamic coefficients, along with computational fluid dynamics analysis, is performed.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/8104927 |
| spellingShingle | Alan G. Escobar-Ruiz Omar Lopez-Botello Luis Reyes-Osorio Patricia Zambrano-Robledo Luis Amezquita-Brooks Octavio Garcia-Salazar Conceptual Design of an Unmanned Fixed-Wing Aerial Vehicle Based on Alternative Energy International Journal of Aerospace Engineering |
| title | Conceptual Design of an Unmanned Fixed-Wing Aerial Vehicle Based on Alternative Energy |
| title_full | Conceptual Design of an Unmanned Fixed-Wing Aerial Vehicle Based on Alternative Energy |
| title_fullStr | Conceptual Design of an Unmanned Fixed-Wing Aerial Vehicle Based on Alternative Energy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conceptual Design of an Unmanned Fixed-Wing Aerial Vehicle Based on Alternative Energy |
| title_short | Conceptual Design of an Unmanned Fixed-Wing Aerial Vehicle Based on Alternative Energy |
| title_sort | conceptual design of an unmanned fixed wing aerial vehicle based on alternative energy |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/8104927 |
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