Modeling and aerodynamic analysis of a ducted-fan micro aerial vehicle

This paper presents the modeling and aerodynamic analysis of a VTOL ducted-fan UAV which can operate in vertical and horizontal flight. In this paper, a dynamic model, which demonstrates the analysis of forces on the vehicle, was established firstly. Then, a three-dimensional model was established for numerical simulation, and an unstructured grid was generated in this pager to compute the duct flow field. We also used an encrypted grid on the boundary layer in order to improve the calculation accuracy. Three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations and finite volume method were brought to analyze different duct styles. Numerical simulation focused on influence of several geometric structures, such as duct height and cone-angle, on the lift, drag, pitching moment and flight stability of the vehicle, has been established. Finally, some design principles may be obtained for further structural design of a ducted fan UAV.