Experimental Study on an Arresting Gear for Heavy UAVs on Slippery Runways

Abstract

We studied the basic UAV technology necessary for an arresting gear method under freezing conditions or unraveling of the runway surface occurring in the severe weather typical of Mongolia: A large number of tests were conducted in both winter and summer, and further analysis was conducted using a numerical model. We concluded that the wire model using multiple weights with free endpoints is optimal for the UAV arresting gear system. Application of this model resulted in safe stopping on a freezing runway after a straight run. Fixing the end points or fixing only one side created a danger that the aircraft would change direction if the UAV’s hook hit the wire at a point other than the midpoint. Using numerical analysis, a simulation that included large friction and dampers caused the UAV speed to decrease linearly, so the UAV took time to stop. Conversely, the collision model with multiple weights showed that no matter where it was caught by the wire, the UAV did not change its direction, ran straight on the runway, and showed a parabolic deceleration during the experiments. The method resulted in safe landings. We recommend using this method to reduce the UAV operation and development costs because the crashes of UAVs mostly occur on the runway during landing.