Analysis of an RC Aircraft WingWith Flexible Sweep, Anhedral and Dihedral Angles

Abstract

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have a wide range of applications, including cargo transport, mapping, and surveillance. However, during flight, UAVs, particularly remote-controlled (RC) aircraft, face challenges such as gusty winds, crosswinds, changing weather conditions, and uneven terrain, making stable flight difficult. Depending on the specific use case, the roll stability and maneuverability of RC aircraft become critical factors. Current UAVs are typically designed with fixed-wing configurations, such as dihedral, anhedral, or straight wings. This limits their performance to the capabilities of the chosen configuration. Therefore, there is a need for an RC aircraft that can adapt its wing configuration in-flight, allowing it to switch between dihedral, anhedral, and variable swept positions, giving the pilot greater control. Dihedral wings improve roll stability, anhedral wings enhance roll maneuverability, and backward-swept wings reduce wave drag and shockwaves at high speeds. This work aims to design a cargo RC aircraft with a mechanism that integrates all these wing configurations. The aircraft and mechanism are modelled in 3D using Fusion 360, and air foil and plane analysis are conducted in XFLR5 to evaluate aerodynamic parameters. Additionally, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis is performed on the different wing configurations to assess their changing aerodynamic characteristics.