Electric VTOL UAV Prop-Rotor MDO

摘要

The paper presents a prop-rotor design method for an electricpropulsion system. Prop-rotor design problem involves a compromise between two different flight conditions: hover and cruise. This drives the designer to use a multidisciplinary design optimization framework. In the current case the design framework is based on ESTECO modeFrontier~? design environment. The process formulation refers to a multi-goal design problem with several design constraints. Two basic models are discussed in detail: the prop-rotor aerodynamic model and the electric power system model. A test case of prop-rotor design is presented for an example airvehicle,with electric propulsion system, weights 100kgf. The results are presented in a comprehensive Pareto front format which enables the designer to choose the appropriate compromise out of the entire design space. The results emphasize the importance of a well-tailored prop-rotor for a given air-vehicle and the advantage of using an optimization tools fora multidisciplinary design problem.