Wind tunnel tests of a tilt-rotor tailsitter with coordinated rotor tilt and elevon deflection
Ziqing Ma (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering, The University of Hong Kong)
Ewoud J.J. Smeur (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
Guido C.H.E. de Croon (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
This study investigates how coordinated rotor tilt and elevon deflection shape the aerodynamic performance and maneuvering capability of a tilt-rotor tailsitter UAV, with particular emphasis on high-speed sharp turns where maximizing lift is essential for minimizing turning radius. Extensive wind tunnel experiments were conducted across a range of airspeeds, angles of attack, throttle settings, and actuator combinations to quantify axial force, lift, and pitching moment while capturing the effects of wing–propeller interaction. Pitching-moment trim tests were also performed by dynamically adjusting actuator input combinations to maintain pitch moment equilibrium. The results show that upward rotor tilt, when combined with downward elevon deflection, produces substantially higher lift while preserving pitch moment equilibrium within the tested positive-AoA forward flight envelope, outperforming either actuation used alone. By embedding the derived empirical models into an equilibrium-constrained sharp turn maneuver, the study further predicts a theoretical minimum turning radius of 8.01 m at 18 m/s under an extrapolated throttle command condition, corresponding to a 31.8% reduction compared to an equivalent fixed-rotor tailsitter with elevons, suggesting that synergistic thrust vectoring and control-surface deflection enable aggressive maneuvers without compromising pitch stability or forward speed.
help_outline