Holzapfel, W. Pulsed Propulsion of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by Centrifugal Force Modulation—First-Order Theory and Practicability. Applied Sciences 2024, 14, 4229, doi:10.3390/app14104229.
Holzapfel, W. Pulsed Propulsion of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by Centrifugal Force Modulation—First-Order Theory and Practicability. Applied Sciences 2024, 14, 4229, doi:10.3390/app14104229.
Holzapfel, W. Pulsed Propulsion of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by Centrifugal Force Modulation—First-Order Theory and Practicability. Applied Sciences 2024, 14, 4229, doi:10.3390/app14104229.
Holzapfel, W. Pulsed Propulsion of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by Centrifugal Force Modulation—First-Order Theory and Practicability. Applied Sciences 2024, 14, 4229, doi:10.3390/app14104229.
Abstract
A novel technique suitable for propulsion of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) is discussed in this paper. This approach utilizes the rotational energy of airborne gyro rotors and converts it into translational propulsion for the vehicle. The energy conversion is achieved by generating precisely directed centrifugal force pulses through short-duration rotor unbalances. The accurate control of the timing and magnitude of these unbalances is crucial for successful propulsion generation. Our first-order theory of controlled unbalance propulsion (CUP) predicts the potential for achieving high translational accelerations and vehicle velocities up to orbital levels. Power saving levitation of UAVs can be attained. In this paper, we provide traceable evidence that pulsed centrifugal propulsion is based on well-established laws of physics and can be realized using state-of-the-art technologies.
Keywords
unmanned aerial vehicles; vehicle propulsion; controlled unbalance propulsion; energy storage/conversion; high speed rotors; centrifugal force modulation
Subject
Engineering, Aerospace Engineering
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.