Purpose

Designing new aircraft that are state-of-the-art and beyond always requires the development of new technologies. This paper aims to present lessons learned while designing, building and testing new UAVs in the configuration of the flying wing. The UAV contains a number of aerodynamic devices that are not obvious solutions and use the latest manufacturing technology achievements, such as 3D printing.

Design/methodology/approach

The design solutions were applied on an airworthy aircraft and checked during test flights. The process was first conducted on the smaller UAV, and based on the test outcomes, improvements were made and then applied on the larger version of the UAV, where they were verified.

Findings

A number of practical findings were identified. For example, the use of 3D printing technology for manufacturing integrated pressure ports, investigation of the adverse yaw effect on the flying wing configuration and the effectiveness of winglet rudders in producing yawing moment.

Practical implications

All designed devices were tested in practice on the flying aircraft. It allowed for improved aircraft performance and handling characteristics. Several of the technologies used improved the speed and quality of aerodynamic device design and manufacturing, which also influences the reliability of the aircraft.

Originality/value

The paper presents how 3D printing technology can be utilized for manufacturing of aerodynamic devices. Specially developed techniques for control surface design, which can affect adverse yaw problem and aircraft handling characteristics, were described.

中文翻译：

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设计无人机空气动力装置——经验教训

目的

设计最先进的新飞机始终需要开发新技术。本文旨在介绍在设计、建造和测试飞翼配置的新型无人机时吸取的经验教训。该无人机包含许多气动装置，这些装置不是显而易见的解决方案，并且使用了最新的制造技术成果，例如3D打印。

设计/方法论/途径

该设计解决方案应用于适航飞机并在试飞过程中进行了检查。该过程首先在较小型无人机上进行，根据测试结果进行改进，然后应用于较大型无人机并进行验证。

发现

确定了许多实际发现。例如，利用3D打印技术制造集成压力端口、研究偏航对飞翼构型的不利影响以及小翼舵产生偏航力矩的有效性。

实际影响

所有设计的设备都在飞行的飞机上进行了实际测试。它可以提高飞机性能和操纵特性。使用的多项技术提高了空气动力装置设计和制造的速度和质量，这也影响了飞机的可靠性。

原创性/价值

该论文介绍了如何利用 3D 打印技术来制造空气动力装置。描述了专门开发的控制面设计技术，该技术可以影响不利的偏航问题和飞机操纵特性。