• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.49-60
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• 2008

In this technical paper, summarization of developmental results for the tilt-rotor SUAV Drive System being developed in the Smart UAV Development Center is carried out in view of design and analysis for the major components. The Drive System driving for the Rotor System of the SUAV is composed of very precise and advanced equipments, and also the applied technologies for development of the system had not ever experienced in the Korea. Therefore the collaboration study with an advanced company (EATI) in the USA performed in order to develop the SUAV Drive System.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.75-82
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• 2006

Tiltrotor aircraft can fly about twice faster and several times further than conventional helicopters. These aircraft provide advantages preventing compressibility of advancing side and stall of retreating side of blades because they take forward flight with tilting rotor systems. However, they have limit on forward flight speed because of the aeroelastic instability known as whirl flutter. First, the parametric study on the aeroelastic stability of the isolated rotor system has been performed in this paper. And the effects of pitch-link stiffness, gimbal spring constant, and precone angle on the whirl flutter stability of Smart-UAV have been investigated through CAMRAD II analysis.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.16-26
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• 2005

The aerodynamic design of a proprotor for the Smart UAV adopting tiltrotor aircraft concept is conducted in this study. Since proprotor of tiltrotor aircraft is operated at both rotary and fixed wing mode with single configuration rotor, the proprotor has to be designed to meet performance requirements for both flight modes. The aerodynamic design of proprotor is accomplished by combining three sources of data - the proprotor performance data, the aerodynamic data of vehicle, and the performance data of engine. The performance analysis code for proprotor is based on the combined momentum and blade element theory and validated by comparison with the TRAM data. In order to design configuration for a proprotor satisfying requirements for both rotary and fixed wing mode, various kind of performance maps are constructed for many performance and configuration parameters. From the analysis the twist angle of 38 degrees and the solidity of 0.118 are decided to be the optimal geometric parameters for both operating conditions.

• Current Industrial and Technological Trends in Aerospace
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.75-92
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• 2007

2002년 프론티어사업의 일환으로서, 10년간 1200억의 예산으로 미래형 신개념비행체 기술개발사업을 시작한 스마트무인기사업은, $2002{\sim}2003$년 수행한 개념연구를 통해 미래형 신개념 고속 수직이착륙 항공기 개념으로서 틸트로터 개념을 선정하고 이의 개발에 매진하고 있다. 사업단에서는 우선, 항공 선진국에서 지난 반세기 동안 시행한 다양한 비행체 개념연구결과에 대해 자체적인 비교 분석 및 국제공동 연구를 근간으로하여, 당시 틸트로터에 필적하는 가능성을 보였던 스탑트로터(보잉사), 복합자이로콥터(카터콥터사) 개념이 아닌, 틸트로터 비행체의 기술개발을 결정하게 되었다. 각각의 비행체 개념이 갖는 위험성과 도전성, 그리고 소요기술, 설계특성, 개발 위험도 등에 대한 면밀한 분석을 기초로 한 사업단의 체계적 의사결정은 주효했다. 스탑트로터개념은 비행시험의 잇단 실패와 지연/잠정 중단사태가 이어졌고, 복합자이로콥터 또한 잇단 비행사고로 2002년 기록한 148kts를 능가하는 고속성능 시현에 지금까지 실패함으로써, 실용화 가능한 고속수직이착륙기로서의 검증을 위해서는 해결해야할 기술적 과제가 많이 남아있음을 보여주고 있다. 반면, 틸트로터 개념의 경우 V-22의 설계 수정형에 대한 성공적인 비행시험완료 및 인증획득으로 전면양산승인이 2005년 결정되어 458대가 (미해병대(360), 해군(48), 공군(50)) 납품될 예정이고, 2010년 인증획득을 목표로 민수용으로 개발중인 BA609의 순조로운 비행시험진행, 무인기로 개발된 Eagle Eye 기술시현기의 비행 시험성공과 2003년 미 해양경찰청으로부터 Deep Water 프로그램의 장거리 순찰임무 주력기종 선정과 같이 군용, 상용, 무인용 고속 수직이착륙 시장의 전 방위적 진입이 현실화되고 있다. 이에 따라 항공업계의 반응은 2가지 방향으로 나뉘고 있다. 하나는 유럽의 ERICA 프로그램과 같이 틸트로터 기술 개발을 서두르자고 주장하는 방향이고, 다른 하나는 시콜스키의 X2 프로그램과 같이 틸트로터와는 차별화된 독자적인 고속 수 직이착륙 비행체 개념 개발을 시도하는 것이다. 이러한 배경으로 국내 독자적인 기술력으로 지난해까지 일구어낸 성공적인 스마트무인기 상세설계 종료 및 축소형 비행체 전환비행성공은 그 의의가 매우 크다고 할 수 있다. 본 논문은 틸트로터 개발사를 통해, 신개념 비행체 개발의 어려움과 교훈을 알아보고, 세계에서 2번째로 틸트로터 기술을 개발하고 있는 스마트무인기 사업의 현황과 기술적 특징 및 의의의 정리, 그리고 틸트로터의 대안으로 진행중인 새로운 고속 VTOL 비행체 연구현황에 대한 소개 와 간단한 기술적 평가를 포함시켰다.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.26-33
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• 2005

Smart UAV, which adopting tiltrotor aircraft concept, requires vertical take-off and landing, long endurance and high speed capability. These contradictable flight performances are hard to meet unless the operation of flap system which should reveal optimal performance for each flight mode. In order to design SUAV flaperon satisfying the three performance requirements, various configurations are generated and their aerodynamic performances are analyzed using numerical flow computations around flap systems. Considering aerodynamic performance and structural simplicity, a final flap configuration is selected and the performance is validated through the wind tunnel testing for 40% scale model.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.389-392
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• 2011

In this study, the engine performance data was extracted and analyzed through the flight test of Smart UAV which is tilt rotor aircraft. The flight test was conducted for the transition flight regime where the tilt angle of prop-rotor varies from 90 degree to 0 degree and vice versa. The engine performance data such as engine power and specific fuel consumption gathered from flight tests were compared well with the results of engine performance analysis program.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.277-286
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• 2004

In this study, summary of past tilt-rotor concept development presented, and based on that, major pros and cons of tilt-rotor technology compared to other air-vehicle concept was presented. Also presented were major design features, considerations and sizing constraints of tilt-rotor configuration implemented to the development of Smart UAV. It is hoped that this paper be served to understand the tilt-rotor air-vehicle design and development.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.22-31
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• 2013

Flight tests on flight control performance of helicopter, conversion and airplane mode for the Smart UAV were completed. Automatic take-off and landing, automatic return home as well as automatic approach to hover were performed in helicopter mode. Climb/descent, left/right turn using speed and altitude hold mode were performed in each $10^{\circ}$ tilt angle in conversion mode. The rotor speed in airplane mode was reduced to 82% from 98% RPM in order to increase rotor efficiency with reducing Mach number at tip of rotors. It reached to the designed maximum speed, $V_{TAS}$=440 km/h at 3 km altitude. This paper presents the flight test result on full envelopment of Smart UAV. Detailed test plan and test data on control performance were also presented to prove that all data meets the flying qualities requirement.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2009

The ground integration test of Smart UAV has been performed according to the flight test plan. The flight test of full scaled model will be performed followed by 4 DOF ground rig test and a tethered hover test. Smart UAV is the first indigenous tiltrotor aircraft which can fly with fast cruise speed and take off or land vertically. In order to prove the flight control law of Smart UAV, the 40% scaled airplane was developed and have been tested. During flight test of small scaled model, many unique and unexpected problems occurred. After clearing these problems, fully automatic flight test was performed successfully. The experiences about many trouble shooting and resolving the problems would be basic material to avoid the unexpected but similar flight test problems hidden behind of the full scaled Smart UAV. This paper presents the detailed procedures of trouble shootings to solve the unique problems which occurred during the flight test of small scaled tiltrotor UAV.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.240-247
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• 2006

Tilt rotor aircraft is a multi-configuration airplane which has three independent flight modes; helicopter, conversion, and aiplane. The control surface mixer resign is reqctired to generate and distribute efficient control forces and moments in each flight mode. In the conversion mode, the thrust vector is changed from helicopter mode to airplane, therefore the thrust vector makes undesired forces and moments which affect on pitch, roll and yaw dynamics. This paper describes the design results of control surface mixer design which minimize the undesired forces and moments due to nacelles tilting angle change for 4O% scaled model.