Solar UAV: aerodynamic design and model testing in a wind tunnel

• Main Author: Wee, Raun Joshua Guanwei.
• Other Authors: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/50167
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The baseline configuration of a solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with an endurance of 24 hours at a cruise altitude of 8000m is determined through market research, analysis of the mission requirements and aerodynamic considerations. Using the baseline configuration, a 1:27 scale model was designed and built meeting the low speed test requirements on side wall effects and model blockage. The scale model was tested using the available 6 component balance in the closed circuit wind tunnel at Nanyang Technological University over a range of model configurations including wings with and without dihedral and control deflections. Analysis of the balance measurements were carried out to obtain longitudinal characteristics – lift, drag and pitching moment, of the Solar UAV. Both the straight wing and dihedral wing configurations were found to have acceptable lifting and pitching moment characteristics. However the drag data measured in the present tests on the 1:27 scale model using the available balance is found to be unacceptable due to the smaller test Reynolds number compared to the flight Reynolds number and the large full scale load ranges of the force balance used.