Design of Additively Manufactured Wind Tunnel Models for Use with UAVs

Abstract In recent years, the potential applications of additive manufacturing have expanded considerably. This paper demonstrates the use of two important additive processes in the manufacturing of wind tunnel models of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for measurements in the wind tunnel. The UAV parts are manufactured by means of the binder jetting process. The application of different post-processing steps gave rise to models with a high degree of surface quality. Such models were investigated in the wind tunnel under different flow velocities and orientations. In order to carry out measurements, an adjustable measuring stand made of standard profiles was designed and constructed. Thereby, devices and fixtures manufactured with the assistance of the FDM process were used. A force torque sensor was used to record the measured values. For the economic assessment of models manufactured with generative methods, the cost structure and delivery times were analyzed. In addition, external options were obtained, in order to enable the comparability of costs between additive and conventional manufacturing processes