Ph.D. Defense

Lee Whitcher

(Prof. Jonathan Rogers)

"The design, analysis, and control of a Coanda effect VTOL UAV"

Monday, December 1

3:00 p.m.

Montgomery Knight 317

Abstract:

Using the Coanda effect as a viable mechanism for sustained, useful, flight has been a dream since Henri Coanda himself theorized it in the 1950s. Only in the 2000s did this come to fruition by way of Aesir's `Embla-ICE' aircraft. This thesis, authored by one of Embla-ICE's two developers, commences with a detailed breakdown of the technology and how it came to fruition. Following that, a series of performance evaluation studies are performed in order to provide deeper understanding of the Coanda effect in this application. In one study, an experimentally-validated CFD study into Embla-ICE's geometry yields a 16% increase in propulsive efficiency. In another study, Embla-ICE's performance is analyzed and compared to other VTOL aircraft. Finally, a detailed analysis of Embla-ICE's flight dynamics and control is performed, including the development of equations of motion, gyroscopic analysis, and ultimately the development of automatic attitude control algorithms implemented on a low-cost flight computer. These algorithms are evaluated using a three-degree-of-freedom gimbal rig, with the best then free flown. This thesis is a multi-faceted aeronautical study encompassing electric propulsion, structures and materials, flight dynamics and control, computational fluid dynamics, and experimental testing.

Committee:

Prof. Jonathan Rogers (advisor), School of Aerospace Engineering
Prof. Eric Johnson, The Pennsylvania State University
Prof. Brian German, School of Aerospace Engineering
Prof. Marilyn Smith, School of Aerospace Engineering
Prof. Suraj Unnikrishnan, Reliable Robotics Corporation