Investigation of aerodynamics of morphing wing-tip device for fixed wing UAVs

Abstract

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as one of the major trends in the aviation sector due to their simplicity and low operation cost. UAVs are used for many applications including military applications like surveillance, assaults, and security as well as civil applications like agriculture, delivery, and photography. By 2028, the UAV industry is expected to have grown from its 2022 valuation of USD 32 billion to USD 72 [1]. Minor enhancements in their performance, such as efficiency and operation time, can have a significant positive impact. For fixed wing UAVs, the wing of the UAV is the main part that generates the lift required to fly the UAVs. The wing generates the lift using the pressure difference between the upper and lower surface of the wing. Wing-tip vortices are an inevitable phenomenon brought on by this pressure differential. These wingtip vortices increase the drag of the wing. Studies on transport aircraft show that approximately 40% of the total drag while cruising is generated by wingtip vortices [2]. To reduce drag generation, several types of fixed wing-tip devices have been employed on the aircraft over the past few decades.