Manufacture, Refinement and Low-Speed Flight Testing of a Small-Scale, High-Speed Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle

Gair, Shaun Robert

Manufacture, Refinement and Low-Speed Flight Testing of a Small-Scale, High-Speed Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle

dc.contributor.advisor	Johansen, Craig
dc.contributor.advisor	Morton, Christopher
dc.contributor.author	Gair, Shaun Robert
dc.contributor.committeemember	Goldsmith, Peter B.
dc.contributor.committeemember	De Barros, Alexandre Gomes
dc.date	2023-11
dc.date.accessioned	2023-08-15T21:01:06Z
dc.date.available	2023-08-15T21:01:06Z
dc.date.issued	2023-08
dc.description.abstract	This thesis details the mechanical design, manufacture, and flight testing of a sub-2.5kg UAV prototype. While the aircraft configuration is designed for supersonic flight, the goal of this work is to evaluate the low-speed flight characteristics and to prove positive stability and control at low speeds. Low-speed testing will evaluate the applicability of established design techniques---developed for full-scale, crewed aircraft---to small-scale, high-speed UAVs. Review of literature and preliminary results led to a focus on the prediction of lateral stability characteristics, especially vertical tail volume coefficient (VTVC). Flight testing of the prototype did not yield sustained flight; however, data collected during takeoff attempts provide valuable information about the behaviour of the design. These data indicate that the aircraft was laterally unstable, contradicting the vertical tail design determined from VTVC sizing methods. Analysis of VTVC for existing tailless delta-winged aircraft and comparison with the MUFASA aircraft showed that VTVC is insufficient as an early design parameter for small-scale, high-speed designs. A novel parameter, the fuselage-normalized tail volume coefficient, is proposed for use in conjunction with the conventional VTVC. Taken together, these two parameters provide a more complete prediction of lateral stability for small UAVs with supersonic design configurations. Future development work on this project could benefit from a detailed lateral stability study, thorough engine intake design, and improvements to the launch rail used to accelerate the aircraft.
dc.identifier.citation	Gair, S. R. (2023). Manufacture, refinement and low-speed flight testing of a small-scale, high-speed uncrewed aerial vehicle (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1880/116863
dc.identifier.uri	https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/41705
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher.faculty	Graduate Studies
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject	UAV
dc.subject	Flight Test
dc.subject	Vertical Tail
dc.subject	Lateral Stability
dc.subject	High Speed
dc.subject	Delta Wing
dc.subject.classification	Engineering--Aerospace
dc.subject.classification	Engineering--Mechanical
dc.title	Manufacture, Refinement and Low-Speed Flight Testing of a Small-Scale, High-Speed Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle
dc.type	master thesis
thesis.degree.discipline	Engineering – Mechanical & Manufacturing
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary
thesis.degree.name	Master of Science (MSc)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent	I do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.