• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.50 no.9
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• pp.599-608
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• 2022

Urban air mobility (UAM) equipped with rotor system is subject to ground effect at vertiport during takeoff and landing. The aerodynamic performance of the aircraft in ground effect should be analyzed for the safe operation. In this study, The ground effects on the aerodynamic performance and wake structure of the quadcopter electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) configuration equipped with coaxial counter-rotating propellers were investigated by using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The influence of the ground effect was observed differently in the upper and lower propellers of the coaxial counter-rotating propeller system. There was no significant change in the aerodynamic performance of the upper propeller even if the propeller height above the ground was changed, whereas the averaged thrust and torque of the lower propeller increased significantly as propeller height decreased. In addition, the amplitude of the thrust fluctuation tended to increase as the propeller height decreased. The propeller wake was not sufficiently propagated downstream and was diffused along the ground due to the outwash flow developed by the ground effect. The impingement of the rotor wakes on the ground and a fountain vortex structure were observed.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.39 no.8
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• pp.693-702
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• 2015

This paper presents the performance characteristics of a Darrieus-type vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) with National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) airfoil blades. To estimate the optimum shape of the Darrieus-type wind turbine in accordance with various design parameters, we examine the aerodynamic characteristics and separated flow occurring in the vicinity of the blade, the interaction between the flow and blade, and the torque and power characteristics that are derived from it. We consider several parameters (chord length, rotor diameter, pitch angle, and helical angle) to determine the optimum shape design and characteristics of the interaction with the ambient flow. From our results, rotors with high solidity have a high power coefficient in the low tip-speed ratio (TSR) range. On the contrary, in the low TSR range, rotors with low solidity have a high power coefficient. When the pitch angle at which the airfoil is directed inward equals $-2^{\circ}$ and the helical angle equals $0^{\circ}$, the Darrieus-type VAWT generates maximum power.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.50 no.7
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• pp.479-487
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• 2022

This paper presents the control and guidance algorithm of a KAU-SPUAV(Korea Aerospace University - Solar Powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) which is designed and developed in Korea Aerospace University. Aerodynamic coefficients are calculated using the vortex-lattice method and applied to the aircraft's six degrees of freedom equation. In addition, the thrust and torque coefficients of the propeller are calculated using the blade element theory. An altitude controller using thrust was used for longitudinal control of KAU-SPUAV to glide efficiently when it comes across the upwind. Also describes wind estimation technic for considering wind effect during flight. Finally, introduce some guidance laws for endurance, mission and coping with strong headwinds and autonomous landing.