The purpose of this paper is to present the preliminary design of a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), focusing on the interaction between the aerodynamic and the structural design studies.

    Design/methodology/approach

    The classic layout theory was used, adjusted for the needs of unmanned aircraft, including aerodynamic calculations, presizing methods and CFD, to estimate key aerodynamic and stability coefficients. Considering the structural aspects, a combination of layout, finite element methods and custom parameterized design tools were used, allowing automatic reshapes of the skin and the internal structural parts, which are mainly made of composite materials. Interaction loops were defined between the aforementioned studies to optimize the performance of the aerial vehicle, maximize the aerodynamic efficiency and reduce the structural weight.

    Findings

    The complete design procedure of a UAV is shown, starting from the final stages of conceptual design, up to the point where the detail design and mechanical drawings initiated.

    Practical implications

    This paper presents a complete view of a design study of a MALE UAV, which was successfully constructed and flight-tested.

    Originality/value

    This study presents a complete, synergetic approach between the configuration layout, aerodynamic and structural aspects of a MALE UAV.


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    Title :

    Aerodynamic and structural design for the development of a MALE UAV



    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2018-11-06


    Size :

    11 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English




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