• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
• /
• v.33 no.10
• /
• pp.829-835
• /
• 2016

Electro-Mechanical Actuator installed on the aircraft plays a key role in an aircraft's flight control through flight control computer. Reliable prediction of the actuator is important for the aircraft. To estimate the lifetime of a product, it is necessary to test full target life. However, it is very difficult to perform it due to the long life time of actuator but short period of development time with increasing cost. Therefore, accelerated life test has been used to reduce the test time for various reasons such as reducing product's development cycle and cost. In this paper, to predict the lifetime of the actuator, we analyzed the flight profile of aircraft and adapted the method of accelerated life test in order to accelerate failure modes that might occur under user conditions. We also set up an endurance test equipment for validating the demanded lifetime of an actuator and performed accelerated life test.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.117-144
• /
• 2019

High Altitude and Long Endurance (HALE) aircraft are capable of providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities over vast geographic areas when equipped with advanced sensor packages. As their use becomes more widespread, the demand for additional range, endurance and payload capability will increase and designers are exploring non-conventional configurations to meet the increasing demands. One such configuration is the joined-wing concept. A joined-wing aircraft is one that typically connects a front and aft wings in a diamond shaped planform. One such example is the Boeing SensorCraft configuration. While the joined-wing configuration offers potential benefits regarding aerodynamic efficiency, structural weight, and sensing capabilities, structural design requires careful consideration of elastic buckling resulting from the aft wing supporting, in compression, part of the forward wing structural loading. It has been shown already that this is a nonlinear phenomenon, involving geometric nonlinearities and follower forces that tend to flatten the entire configuration, leading to structural overload due to the loss of the aft wing's ability to support the forward wing load. Severe gusts are likely to be the critical design condition, with flight control system interaction in the form of Gust Load Alleviation (GLA) playing a key role in minimizing the structural loads. The University of Victoria Center for Aerospace Research (UVic-CfAR) has built a 3-meter span scaled and flexible wing UAV based on the Boeing SensorCraft design. The goal is to validate the nonlinear structural behavior in flight. The main objective of this research work is to perform Ground Vibration Tests (GVT) to characterize the dynamic properties of the scaled flight vehicle. Results from the experimental tests are used to characterize the modal dynamics of the aircraft, and to validate the numerical models. The GVT results are an important step towards a safe flight test program.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.39 no.10
• /
• pp.927-934
• /
• 2011

Design parameter analysis is performed for a solar-powered UAV, storing potential energy by climb flight. Parameters related to the flight for saving potential energy, i.e. minimum & maximum altitudes for level flight, gliding & climbing angle, design point speed & altitude, gliding & climbing start time are investigated as design parameters. Weight and size of the UAV are determined using a weight model for the components of the solar-powered UAVs. Produced energy and consumed energy are calculated using these weight and size, yielding the required weight of the battery for a given mission. Relationship between the total weight of the UAV and each parameter is investigated. For the parameters listed above, there exist their ranges only where the design is possible. And there exist optimal values of these parameters minimizing the total weight.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.10-17
• /
• 2023

This paper describes the research and development of a 3.0 m Solar-Powered UAV system for mission flight that is based on the 4.2 m Solar-powered UAV. Both the Solar-Powered UAVs were lightened in weight by applying a composite fuselage and solar charging system. Also, a deep stall landing application and airbag module were installed for usability in mission performance. The flight performance of the Solar-Powered UAV system was verified through flight test. In particular, the 3.0 m Solar-Powered UAV performed continuous flight along the coastline of Jeju Island for 147 km in 3 hours and 50 minutes, and its performance as a mission flight was also confirmed.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.40 no.5
• /
• pp.413-422
• /
• 2012

The ducted fan for a small UAV propulsion can reconnoiter and observe in a town and a small area, it has better thrust efficiency and a long endurance than propeller. Thrust characteristics of hover and for ward flight condition for the ducted fan UAV is important issue to improve a endurance. The unsteady 3-dimensional flow fields of the ducted fan UAV is essential to stable flight. In this paper, to verify the design results of the ducted fan and to investigate a stable aeronautical characteristic, the thrust performance and the unsteady 3-dimensional flow fields are measured. Thrust characteristics for the hovering and the forward flight conditions are measured by the 6-components balance system in the subsonic wind tunnel. The unsteady 3-dimensional flow fields are analyzed by using a stationary $45^{\circ}$ slanted hot-wire technique. The swirl velocity is almost removed behind the stator blades. Therefore, the thrust performance of the ducted fan is improved and the flight stability is maintained.

• 한국항공운항학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2015.11a
• /
• pp.55-58
• /
• 2015

고고도 장기체공 무인기는 일반적인 무인기와 달리 고고도에서의 환경과 장시간의 체공에 따른 위험도가 높을 수밖에 없다. 따라서 신뢰도를 높이기 위한 다양한 방안을 강구해야 한다. 가장 중요한 요소 중 하나가 비행제어시스템이며, 본 논문에서는 비행제어시스템의 이중화에 따른 설계결과와 비행시험결과를 기술하였다.

• Journal of Advanced Navigation Technology
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.401-407
• /
• 2016

This paper introduces 3-dimensional path planning and guidance including power model for high altitude long endurance (HALE) UAV using solar energy. Dubins curve used in this paper has advantage of being directly available to apply path planning. However, most of the path planning problems using Dubins curve are defined in a two-dimensional plan. So, we used 3-dimensional Dubins path generation algorithm which was studied by Randal W. Beard. The aircraft model which used in this paper does not have an aileron. So we designed lateral controller by using a rudder. And then, we were conducted path tracking simulations by using a nonlinear path tracking algorithm. We generate examples according to altitude conditions. From the path tracking simulation results, we confirm that the path tracking is well on the flight path. Finally, we were modeling the power system of HALE UAVs and conducting path tracking simulation during 48hours. Modeling the amount of power generated by the solar cell through the calculation of the solar energy yield. And, we show the 48hours path tracking simulation results.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.47-58
• /
• 2014

In this research, the initial sizing of a HALE(High Altitude Long Endurance) UAV which uses solar power and hydrogen fuel cell as an alternative energy was performed. Instead of a wing box type, a glider type was chosen since it is relatively easy to get a data thanks to many researches abroad. Maximum takeoff weight is around 150Kg and the propulsion system is composed of motor, propeller, solar cell, and hydrogen fuel cell which can be recharged through electrolysis. Maximum takeoff weight was estimated as aspect ratio, wing span, wing area change while considering energy balance of required energy which is necessary for flight during the entire day and available energy which can be taken from the solar cell.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.132-138
• /
• 2016

Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) is developing an electric-driven HALE UAV in order to secure system and operational technologies since 2010. Based on the flight tests and design experiences of the previously developed electric-driven UAVs, KARI has designed EAV-3, a solar-powered HALE UAV. EAV-3 weighs 53kg, the structure weight is 22kg, and features a flexible wing of 19.5m in span with the aspect ratio of 17.4. Designing the main wing and empennage of the EAV-3 the amount of the bending due to the flexible wing, 404mm at 1-G flight condition based on T-800 composite material, and side wind effects due to low cruise speed, $V_{cr}=6m/sec$, are carefully considered. Also, unlike the general aircraft there is no center of gravity shift during the flight because of the EAV-3 is the solar-electric driven UAV. Thus, static margin cuts down to 28.4% and center of gravity moves back to 31% of the Mean Aerodynamic Chord (MAC) comparing with the previously designed the EAV-2 and EAV-2H/2H+ to upgrade the flight performance of the EAV-3.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2004.10a
• /
• pp.165-171
• /
• 2004

Smart UAV, which adopting tiltrotor aircraft concept, requires long endurance and high speed capability simultaneously These two contradictable flight performances are hard to meet with single wing concept and inevitably require the operation of flap system which should reveal optimal performance for each flight mode. In order to design SUAV flaperon satisfying the performance requirement, various configurations are generated and their aerodynamic performances are analyzed using numerical flow computations around flaps. Considering aerodynamic performance and manufacturing simplicity, a final flap configuration is selected.