Computational fluid dynamics model of a quad-rotor helicopter for dynamic analysis

Abstract

The control and performance of a quad-rotor helicopter UAV is greatly influenced by its aerodynamics, which in turn is affected by the interactions with features in its remote environment. This paper presents details of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation and analysis of a quadrotor helicopter. It starts by presenting how SolidWorks software is used to develop a 3-D Computer Aided Design (CAD) model of the quad-rotor helicopter, then describes how CFD is used as a computer based mathematical modelling tool to simulate and analyze the effects of wind flow patterns on the performance and control of the quadrotor helicopter. For the purpose of developing a robust adaptive controller for the quad-rotor helicopter to withstand any environmental constraints, which is not within the scope of this paper; this work accurately models the quad-rotor static and dynamic characteristics from a limited number of time-accurate CFD simulations.