Concept of the magnetic launcher for medium class unmanned aerial vehicles designed on the basis of numerical calculations

Abstract

The paper presents a concept of a magnetic coil launcher for unmanned aerial vehicles of mass up to 25 kg. The idea is not new, nevertheless in the paper, an innovative application of magnetic launcher technology for selected class of unmanned aerial vehicles is presented. So far, at Bialystok University of Technology, a magnetic coil launcher for micro aerial vehicles of mass up to 2.5 kg has been investigated. In the article, simulations of a conceptual multi-coil launcher with a magnetic core system are presented. The finite element method has been used in calculations. Moreover, in the paper, the concept of a magnetic support for transmission of mechanical power from the magnetic core to the launched payload is proposed. The applied methodology, computational results and potential technical difficulties of practical applications are also widely discussed.