Estudio estructural de un vehículo aéreo no tripulado tipo fuselaje integrado operando en crucero mediante el método de los elementos finitos.

Abstract

In the present document, the study of two structural alternatives (solid and semimonocoque) for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) type Blended Wing Body (BWB) operating in cruise velocity, using the Finite Element Method (FEM) has been developed. The study is based on the physical and operational specifications of a commercially available UAV, on which the flight loads for the cruise and flight envelope limits conditions have been approximately calculated. From the flight loads, the shear, moment and torque diagrams that were used to size the semi-monocoque structure and calculate the approximate normal bending stress for the solid and semi-monocoque structural alternatives were elaborated. At the same time, a numerical CFD study was developed in order to establish the flight loads on cruise. The flight loads of the CFD study were linked to the structural module of ANSYS to obtain the stresses and deformations of both structural alternatives. The normal bending stress obtained through the Finite Element Method were contrasted with approximate analytical calculations and previous structural studies. Finally, the results of stresses and deformations for both structures were compared