EVALUATION OF THE FORMATION AND VORTEX TRACE INFLUENCE OF LIGHT UNMANNED MULTICOPTERS

The introduction of unmanned aerial vehicles is one of the most dynamic areas of civil aviation development over the last years. The main field of their application is the performance of different aerial works.  The most part of the aerial works is characterized by a small distance of flying unmanned vehicles from humans, animals, plants and infrastructure. Thus the influence of inductive velocities of these vehicles on the objects and some processes of aerial works is the topical issue. The article considers the problems of evaluation of vortex trace formation and description of inductive velocities field within the flying area of light unmanned multicopters which are the most popular and promising for the performance of the basic aerial works. The studies have been conducted by a numerical experiment using the software package developed in Delphi. On the bases of the defined multicopter parameters, conditions and flight modes created package provides simulation of the vortex trace formation of multicopter as a set of the mutually influencing П-shaped vortices of the multicopter rotors, graphic visualization of the vortex trace and calculations according to the inductive velocities in the flight area with the construction of the vector diagrams as well as some related problems. The article presents the graphic data on the spatial configuration of vortex trace and distribution of inductive velocities in the transverse planes which are unequally distant from the multicopter; for example,  light hexacopter "Odonata agro", for which the proximity of experimental and calculation data of drops sedimentation at aerial spraying, received with the use of the package, confirms indirectly the package adequacy as well as configurations of vortex trace which are comparable in flight weight and load upon rotors of quadcopters and octocopters. According to the calculated data the general regularities and features of the vortex trace formation and configuration, distributions of the inductive velocities within the flying area of the light multicopters are formulated in this paper. The results can be used at the evaluation of the parameters and the vortex trace influence of light unmanned aerial vehicles on the surrounding objects and optimization of rational structural designs and multiсopter flight modes while performing aerial works.

1. Kornilov T.B. BPLA – vam vzlet! [UAV – you take-off!]. Zasсhita i karantin rastenij [Plant Protection and Quarantine], 2017, No. 5, pp. 37–39. (in Russian)

2. Vyshinsky V.V., Sudakov G.G. Vikhrevoi sled samoleta v turbulentnoi atmosfere [Vortex trail of a plane in turbulent atmosphere]. Trudy TsAGI [Works of TsAGI], 2006, Vol. 2667, 155 p. (in Russian)

3. Ginevsky A.S., Zhelannikov A.I. Vikhrevye sledy samoletov [Vortex wakes of Aircraft], Moscow, Fizmatlit, 2008, 170 p. (in Russian)

4. Zhelannikov A.I. K issledovaniju harakteristik vihrevogo sleda za samoletom A-380 na rezhimah vzleta i posadki [To the study of wake vortex behind the Airbus-380 characteristics at take-of and landing]. Nauchnjy Vestnik MGTU GA [Сivil Aviation High Technologies], 2016, Vol. 19, No. 06, pp. 51–57. (in Russian)

5. Vildrgube L.S. Vertolety. Raschet integralnyh ajerodinamicheskih harakteristik i letno-tehnicheskih dannyh [Helicopters. Calculation of integrated aerodynamic characteristics and flight specifications]. M., Mechanical Engineering publ., 1977, 152 p. (in Russian)

6. Braverman A.S., Vaintrub A.P. Dinamika vertoleta. Predelnye rezhimy poleta [Dynamics of the helicopter. Limit modes of flight]. M., Mechanical Engineering publ., 1988, 280 p. (in Russian)

7. Ignatkin Yu.M., Makeev P.V., Grevtsov B.S., Shomov A.I. Nelinejnaja lopastnaja vihrevaja teorija vinta i ee prilozhenija dlja rascheta ajerodinamicheskih harakteristik nesushhih i rulevyh vintov vertoleta [The nonlinear bladed vortex theory of the screw and its applications for calculation of aerodynamic characteristics of the bearing and steering screws of the helicopter]. Vestnik MAI [Herald of Moscow Aviation Institute], 2009, Vol. 16, No. 5, pp. 24–31. (in Russian)

8. Asovskiy V.P. Teoriya i praktika aviatsionnogo raspredeleniya veshchestv [Theory and practice of aerial crop dusting]. Moscow, Vozdushny transport [Air transport], 2008, 580 p. (in Russian)

9. Svinin A.I. Matematicheskaja model vihrevogo sleda za vertoletom v uslovijah aviacionno-himicheskih rabot [Mathematical model of a vortex trace behind helicopter in the conditions of crop dusting]. Nauchno-tehnicheskij referativnyj sbornik GosNII GA [Scientific and technical abstract collection of State Civil Aviation Research Institute], 1982, No. 1, pp. 27–33. (in Russian)

10. Asovskiy V.P., Guseva A.A., Sharipova N.V. Ocenka pokazatelej opryskivanija legkim BPLA [Evaluation of spraying performance by light UAV]. Zashhita i karantin rastenij [Plant Protection and Quarantine], 2017, No. 7, pp. 42–45. (in Russian)