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ACTA AERONAUTICAET ASTRONAUTICA SINICA ›› 2015, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (11): 3567-3577.doi: 10.7527/S1000-6893.2015.0178

• Solid Mechanics and Vehicle Conceptual Design • Previous Articles     Next Articles

General parameters design method of buoyancy-lifting aerial vehicle

YANG Muqing, MA Dongli, LI Yibo, QIAO Yuhang, LI Guanxiong   

  1. School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
  • Received:2014-12-09 Revised:2015-06-10 Online:2015-11-15 Published:2015-07-17
  • Supported by:

    The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

Abstract:

Near-space aerial vehicle has been widely concerned and studied in recent years. Traditional airship and solar plane have some disadvantages, such as huge dimensions and vulnerable structure. In order to overcome these shortcomings, a concept of buoyancy-lifting aerial vehicle is proposed and studied. Energy balance is the key of the design method. Mathematical model of solar cell system, fuel cell system, propulsion system and so on are established, and sensitivity study is performed. Compared with traditional airship, the volume, length and takeoff weight are reduced by 53%, 22% and 4%, respectively. Compared with traditional solar plane, wing span, wing area and takeoff weight are reduced by 52%, 56% and 3.5%, respectively. Buoyancy-lifting aerial vehicle is very sensitive to flight velocity. With velocity increasing from 30m/s to 40 m/s, takeoff weight is doubled and volume of fuselage augments by 77%. Increasing the efficiency of solar cell, fuel cell and propeller could effectively reduce takeoff weight. Buoyancy-lifting aerial vehicle is more sensitive to these efficiencies than airship.

Key words: buoyancy-lifting aerial vehicle, general parameter, energy balance, design methodology, sensitivity analysis

CLC Number: