Tilt-wing quadcopter : a new concept

• Main Author: Peng, Luyuan
• Other Authors: Basman Elhadidi
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2020
• Subjects: Engineering::Mechanical engineering::Robots; Engineering::Aeronautical engineering::Aerodynamics
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/141587
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

To combine the benefits of a multi-copter and a fixed-wing unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV), this project proposed and investigated a novel concept – tilt-wing quadcopter. A tilt-wing quadcopter is a quadcopter with a wing attached of which the angle of attack could be adjusted. The project investigated the feasibility of this new concept mainly by comparing the endurance and range of a tilt-wing quadcopter and that of a normal quadcopter. Both numerical analysis and wind-tunnel testing were carried out to investigate the tilt-wing quadcopter concept in both theory and practical situations. For the theoretical analysis, a numerical model was built in both Excel and MATLAB using basic aerodynamics concepts. Endurance and range for a tilt-wing quadcopter at various pitch angle were calculated. Graphs were plotted for the change in endurance and range when a tilt-wing quadcopter was used. Also, sensitivity analysis was conducted to observe how the change in various parameters, such as aspect ratio, may impact the performance of the tilt-wing quadcopter. For the wind-tunnel testing, a prototype with a detachable wing was built and tested in a closed-loop wind tunnel. The motors were controlled by electronic speed controllers and an Arduino Uno board. A two-component force balance was used to measure the net forces in horizontal and vertical directions. By comparing the net forces of a prototype with a wing and those of a prototype without wing, the performance of the tilt-wing quadcopter was evaluated. From the theoretical analysis, it was noted that a tilt-wing quadcopter was able to enhance the range and endurance of the flight and the enhancement increased as pitch angle increased. The enhancement in performance was positively correlated with the aspect ratio and angle of attack. From the wind-tunnel testing, it was observed that the lift capacity of the quadcopter improved when a wing was attached, however, the drag experienced also increased. The performance of a tilt-wing quadcopter improved as the pitch angle increased. Overall, this project proved that a tilt-wing quadcopter is a feasible solution to improve the flight performance of a quadcopter and the improvement is more significant at higher pitch angle.