Asymmetric ground effects of a tailless unmanned aerial vehicle model

作者：Yang Muqing^*; Ma Dongli

来源：Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers - Part G: Journal of Aerospace Engineering , 2014, 228(14): 2652-2661.

DOI：10.1177/0954410014523946

• Ground effect
• unmanned aerial vehicle
• lateral stability
• directional stability

Ground effect is asymmetric when an unmanned aerial vehicle takes off by using the catapult nearest to the edge of the deck from a carrier, because a large part of the wing is out of the deck. Asymmetric ground effect would induce rolling and yawing moments, which are critical factors affecting the safety of takeoff operations. In this research, focus was on asymmetric ground effect, especially on the lateral and directional aerodynamic characteristics. Effects of height, velocity, and wind over deck were studied. Computational fluid dynamics method was used and validated by comparing it with the experimental data presented in early reports. Height is the most important factor that influences lift, rolling moment, and yawing moment. Lateral and directional stabilities are weakened by reducing height. Lateral stability decreased 2.8% and 5.6% as the height was reduced from 1.5m to 1.2m and to 1.0m, respectively. By increasing velocity, lift is increased significantly, while yawing moment is little influenced. Magnitudes of both lift and rolling moment are amplified slightly with the increase of wind over deck. When wind over deck varied from 0m/s to 15m/s, lift and rolling moment varied only within 1% and 3.4%, respectively, and thus the effect of wind over deck is secondary.

• 出版日期2014-12
• 单位北京航空航天大学