Conceptual design of a novel unmanned Ground Effect Vehicle

Abstract

In this work, a methodology for the conceptual design of a combined Box-wing and Blended-Wing-Body unmanned aerial platform, which exploits the ground effect, is presented. Ground Effect Vehicles (GEVs) are aircrafts or aerial vehicles capable of flying very close to the surface of water areas, being a promising alternative to ships and seaplanes operating in closed seas. In order to exploit the air cushion that is formed underneath, GEVs have low Aspect Ratio wings. Thus, the Blended-Wing-Body (BWB) layout configuration is an appealing choice due to the large available body surface. On the other hand, a tailless vehicle having the BWB layout is facing challenging stability issues, especially in a turbulent and highly volatile environment as the one close to the sea level. Therefore, the addition of the Box wing configuration, namely a continuous-surface nonplanar wing formation with no wing tips, is deemed beneficiary as a way to overcome the stability challenges and eliminate the wingtip vortices. The combination of these two prominent platforms leads to improved aerodynamic performance and eventually, a reduced fuel consumption. The design methodology starts by the estimation of the most important design parameters, such as aspect ratio, sweep angle, and taper ratio, which are continuously refined in an iterative computational framework during the conceptual design phase. In an initial approach, the flight scenario with no ground effect interference is studied, with the use of both analytical calculations and computational fluid dynamics simulations. The results from the conceptual design phase indicate that the UGEV configuration has a considerable potential as an alternative to ships or seaplanes, based on its ability to carry larger payload than seaplanes and deliver it faster than ships.