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Development of an Efficient Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft

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Development of an Efficient Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Master's Theses 2019 DEVELOPMENT OF AN EFFICIENT VERTICAL TAKEOFF AND LANDING AIRCRAFT Alexander Desilets University of Rhode Island, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses Recommended Citation Desilets, Alexander, "DEVELOPMENT OF AN EFFICIENT VERTICAL TAKEOFF AND LANDING AIRCRAFT" (2019). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 1439. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/1439 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DEVELOPMENT OF AN EFFICIENT VERTICAL TAKEOFF AND LANDING AIRCRAFT BY ALEXANDER DESILETS A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2019 MASTER OF SCIENCE THESIS OF ALEXANDER DESILETS APPROVED: Thesis Committee: Major Professor Bahram Nassersharif Musa Jouaneh Richard J Vaccaro Nasser H. Zawia DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2019 Abstract Most of the unmanned flight systems that exist today are comprised of either horizontal or vertical capabilities, with very few capable of full Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) operations. Aircraft with VTOL flight systems have the ability to take off and land vertically, then transition to horizontal flight, allowing an aircraft to cover long distances at high speed while maintaining the highly advantageous ability to take off and land without the use of a runway. These systems, however, are either highly complex and costly, or power inefficient during horizontal flight, highly reducing their practicality to commercial or private applications. With small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) becoming increasingly popular in private, commercial and military markets, simplified, small scale VTOL systems will provide UAS pilots with increased capabilities and significant advantages compared to standard fixed wing or rotor aircraft. A flight system designed for this application will be able to achieve VTOL capabilities and retain the high velocity and long range of conventional fixed wing aircraft while maintaining a comparatively low complexity and cost. To recognize these goals, a design has been established with a “dis-similar” tri-rotor design. This dis-similar thruster design will use powerful vertical lift motors in pods mounted in the wings capable of rotating forward for transition to horizontal flight, with a significantly smaller rear motor, in a similar pod, to provide low power, high efficiency thrust during horizontal flight operations. Several iterations of this design were constructed and tested with progressively more success with each design. The system was not able to achieve a successful transition to horizontal flight; however, vertical flight capabilities were proven and significant data was collected to aid the design of future iterations. Acknowledgments I would first like to thank my thesis advisor Dr. Bahram Nassersharif of the Mechanical Engineering department at the University of Rhode Island. He was always willing to talk and offer guidance while allowing me to explore this project in its many aspects and choose the path forward. Furthermore, without his sponsorship of this project during my capstone year, it would never have never begun and allowed me to learn everything my experiences have taught me. I must also express my very profound gratitude to my parents for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing this thesis. Especially to my father, who took time to offer his knowledge of electronics and software when required to get through design challenges. This accomplishment would not have been possible without them. Thank you. Alexander Desilets iv Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ v Table of Figures ........................................................................................................... viii Table of Tables ................................................................................................................ x List of Terms................................................................................................................... xi Significance of the Study ................................................................................................ 1 Literature Review ........................................................................................................... 3 Concept design .............................................................................................................13 Detailed Prototype Design .............................................................................................16 Aeronautical Design ...................................................................................................17 Structural Design .......................................................................................................23 Electronics Design .....................................................................................................27 Power .....................................................................................................................27 Sensors ..................................................................................................................27 Communication ..........................................................................................................29 Communication Design ..........................................................................................29 Communication Methodology .................................................................................31 Control System Design ..............................................................................................39 Overall Design ........................................................................................................39 Vertical Pitch Control ..............................................................................................42 Vertical Roll Control ................................................................................................44 v Vertical Yaw Control ...............................................................................................46 Vertical Ascent/Descent Control .............................................................................47 Vertical Forward-Back Control ................................................................................49 Transition Design ...................................................................................................50 Horizontal Control ...................................................................................................52 Safe Mode and Disarmed State ..............................................................................52 Future Capabilities .................................................................................................53 System Testing and Results ..........................................................................................55 General design testing ...............................................................................................55 Small scale winged model ..........................................................................................58 MKI design and construction ......................................................................................61 MKII design and construction .....................................................................................63 MKIII Design and Testing ...........................................................................................74 MKIII Test Fixture Stability Testing .........................................................................75 MKIII Tethered free flight testing .............................................................................90 Vertical Free Flight Testing .....................................................................................98 Flight Transition Testing ....................................................................................... 103 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 115 Future work ................................................................................................................. 120 Appendix 1: Lift Calculations ....................................................................................... 121 Equation 1: Reynolds number estimation ................................................................. 122 Equation 2: Transition velocity based on lift force..................................................... 122 Appendix 2: Stability Calculations ................................................................................ 123 Stability Margin Calculations ...................................................................................
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