TY - CHAP A1 - Hippe, Jonas A1 - Finger, Felix A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Braun, Carsten T1 - Propulsion System Qualification of a 25 kg VTOL-UAV: Hover Performance of Single and Coaxial Rotors and Wind-Tunnel Experiments on Cruise Propellers T2 - Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress - DLRK 2020 Y1 - 2020 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Finger, Felix A1 - Havermann, Marc A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Marino, Matthew A1 - Bil, Cees T1 - Full Configuration Drag Estimation of Small-to-Medium Range UAVs and its Impact on Initial Sizing Optimization T2 - Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress - DLRK 2020 Y1 - 2020 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Bergmann, Ole A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Janser, Frank T1 - Comparison and evaluation of blade element methods against RANS simulations and test data T2 - CEAS Aeronautical Journal N2 - This paper compares several blade element theory (BET) method-based propeller simulation tools, including an evaluation against static propeller ground tests and high-fidelity Reynolds-Average Navier Stokes (RANS) simulations. Two proprietary propeller geometries for paraglider applications are analysed in static and flight conditions. The RANS simulations are validated with the static test data and used as a reference for comparing the BET in flight conditions. The comparison includes the analysis of varying 2D aerodynamic airfoil parameters and different induced velocity calculation methods. The evaluation of the BET propeller simulation tools shows the strength of the BET tools compared to RANS simulations. The RANS simulations underpredict static experimental data within 10% relative error, while appropriate BET tools overpredict the RANS results by 15–20% relative error. A variation in 2D aerodynamic data depicts the need for highly accurate 2D data for accurate BET results. The nonlinear BET coupled with XFOIL for the 2D aerodynamic data matches best with RANS in static operation and flight conditions. The novel BET tool PropCODE combines both approaches and offers further correction models for highly accurate static and flight condition results. KW - BET KW - CFD propeller simulation KW - Propeller aerodynamics KW - Actuator disk modelling KW - Propeller performance Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13272-022-00579-1 SN - 1869-5590 (Online) SN - 1869-5582 (Print) N1 - Corresponding author: Ole Bergmann VL - 13 SP - 535 EP - 557 PB - Springer CY - Wien ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Havermann, Marc A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Marino, Matthew A1 - Bil, Cees T1 - Wind-tunnel and CFD investigations of UAV landing gears and turrets – Improvements in empirical drag estimation JF - Aerospace Science and Technology N2 - This paper analyzes the drag characteristics of several landing gear and turret configurations that are representative of unmanned aircraft tricycle landing gears and sensor turrets. A variety of these components were constructed via 3D-printing and analyzed in a wind-tunnel measurement campaign. Both turrets and landing gears were attached to a modular fuselage that supported both isolated components and multiple components at a time. Selected cases were numerically investigated with a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes approach that showed good accuracy when compared to wind-tunnel data. The drag of main gear struts could be significantly reduced via streamlining their cross-sectional shape and keeping load carrying capabilities similar. The attachment of wheels introduced interference effects that increased strut drag moderately but significantly increased wheel drag compared to isolated cases. Very similar behavior was identified for front landing gears. The drag of an electro-optical and infrared sensor turret was found to be much higher than compared to available data of a clean hemisphere-cylinder combination. This turret drag was merely influenced by geometrical features like sensor surfaces and the rotational mechanism. The new data of this study is used to develop simple drag estimation recommendations for main and front landing gear struts and wheels as well as sensor turrets. These recommendations take geometrical considerations and interference effects into account. Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ast.2020.106306 SN - 1270-9638 VL - 107 IS - Art. 106306 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Havermann, Marc A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Marino, Matthew A1 - Bil, Cees T1 - Improved Form Factor for Drag Estimation of Fuselages with Various Cross Sections JF - Journal of Aircraft N2 - The paper presents an aerodynamic investigation of 70 different streamlined bodies with fineness ratios ranging from 2 to 10. The bodies are chosen to idealize both unmanned and small manned aircraft fuselages and feature cross-sectional shapes that vary from circular to quadratic. The study focuses on friction and pressure drag in dependency of the individual body’s fineness ratio and cross section. The drag forces are normalized with the respective body’s wetted area to comply with an empirical drag estimation procedure. Although the friction drag coefficient then stays rather constant for all bodies, their pressure drag coefficients decrease with an increase in fineness ratio. Referring the pressure drag coefficient to the bodies’ cross-sectional areas shows a distinct pressure drag minimum at a fineness ratio of about three. The pressure drag of bodies with a quadratic cross section is generally higher than for bodies of revolution. The results are used to derive an improved form factor that can be employed in a classic empirical drag estimation method. The improved formulation takes both the fineness ratio and cross-sectional shape into account. It shows superior accuracy in estimating streamlined body drag when compared with experimental data and other form factor formulations of the literature. Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/1.C036032 SN - 1533-3868 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - AIAA CY - Reston, Va. ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Geiben, Benedikt A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Havermann, Marc T1 - Aerodynamic analysis of a winged sub-orbital spaceplane T2 - Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress - DLRK 2020 Y1 - 2020 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Finger, Felix A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Bil, C. T1 - On Aircraft Design Under the Consideration of Hybrid-Electric Propulsion Systems T2 - APISAT 2018: The Proceedings of the 2018 Asia-Pacific International Symposium on Aerospace Technology (APISAT 2018) N2 - A hybrid-electric propulsion system combines the advantages of fuel-based systems and battery powered systems and offers new design freedom. To take full advantage of this technology, aircraft designers must be aware of its key differences, compared to conventional, carbon-fuel based, propulsion systems. This paper gives an overview of the challenges and potential benefits associated with the design of aircraft that use hybrid-electric propulsion systems. It offers an introduction of the most popular hybrid-electric propulsion architectures and critically assess them against the conventional and fully electric propulsion configurations. The effects on operational aspects and design aspects are covered. Special consideration is given to the application of hybrid-electric propulsion technology to both unmanned and vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The authors conclude that electric propulsion technology has the potential to revolutionize aircraft design. However, new and innovative methods must be researched, to realize the full benefit of the technology. KW - Hybrid-electric aircraft KW - Aircraft design KW - Design rules KW - Green aircraft Y1 - 2019 SN - 978-981-13-3305-7 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3305-7_99 N1 - APISAT 2018 - Asia-Pacific International Symposium on Aerospace Technology. 16-18 October 2018. Chengdu, China. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering (LNEE, volume 459) SP - 1261 EP - 1272 PB - Springer CY - Singapore ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Finger, Felix A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Havermann, Marc A1 - Bil, C. A1 - Gomez, F. T1 - Empirical Correlations for Geometry Build-Up of Fixed Wing Unmanned Air Vehicles T2 - APISAT 2018: The Proceedings of the 2018 Asia-Pacific International Symposium on Aerospace Technology (APISAT 2018) N2 - The results of a statistical investigation of 42 fixed-wing, small to medium sized (20 kg−1000 kg) reconnaissance unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) are presented. Regression analyses are used to identify correlations of the most relevant geometry dimensions with the UAV’s maximum take-off mass. The findings allow an empirical based geometry-build up for a complete unmanned aircraft by referring to its take-off mass only. This provides a bridge between very early design stages (initial sizing) and the later determination of shapes and dimensions. The correlations might be integrated into a UAV sizing environment and allow designers to implement more sophisticated drag and weight estimation methods in this process. Additional information on correlation factors for a rough drag estimation methodology indicate how this technique can significantly enhance the accuracy of early design iterations. KW - Unmanned Air Vehicle KW - Geometry KW - Correlations KW - Statistics KW - Drag Y1 - 2019 SN - 978-981-13-3305-7 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3305-7_109 N1 - APISAT 2018 - Asia-Pacific International Symposium on Aerospace Technology. 16-18 October 2018. Chengdu, China. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering (LNEE, volume 459) SP - 1365 EP - 1381 PB - Springer CY - Singapore ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Finger, Felix A1 - Havermann, Marc A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Marino, M. A1 - Bil, C. T1 - Full configuration drag estimation of short-to-medium range fixed-wing UAVs and its impact on initial sizing optimization JF - CEAS Aeronautical Journal N2 - The paper presents the derivation of a new equivalent skin friction coefficient for estimating the parasitic drag of short-to-medium range fixed-wing unmanned aircraft. The new coefficient is derived from an aerodynamic analysis of ten different unmanned aircraft used for surveillance, reconnaissance, and search and rescue missions. The aircraft is simulated using a validated unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes approach. The UAV’s parasitic drag is significantly influenced by the presence of miscellaneous components like fixed landing gears or electro-optical sensor turrets. These components are responsible for almost half of an unmanned aircraft’s total parasitic drag. The new equivalent skin friction coefficient accounts for these effects and is significantly higher compared to other aircraft categories. It is used to initially size an unmanned aircraft for a typical reconnaissance mission. The improved parasitic drag estimation yields a much heavier unmanned aircraft when compared to the sizing results using available drag data of manned aircraft. KW - Parasitic drag KW - UAV KW - CFD KW - Aircraft sizing Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13272-021-00522-w SN - 1869-5590 (Online) SN - 1869-5582 (Print) N1 - Corresponding author: Falk Götten VL - 12 SP - 589 EP - 603 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Finger, Felix A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Braun, Carsten T1 - Initial Sizing for a Family of Hybrid-Electric VTOL General Aviation Aircraft T2 - 67. Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress 2018 Y1 - 2018 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Havermann, Marc A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Gomez, Francisco A1 - Bil, Cees T1 - On the Applicability of Empirical Drag Estimation Methods for Unmanned Air Vehicle Design Read More: https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2018-3192 T2 - 2018 Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Conference, AIAA AVIATION Forum Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2018-3192 SN - 1533-385X N1 - AIAA 2018-3192 SP - Article 3192 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Finger, Felix A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Bil, Cees T1 - Mass, primary energy, and cost: the impact of optimization objectives on the initial sizing of hybrid-electric general aviation aircraft JF - CEAS Aeronautical Journal N2 - For short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft, a parallel hybrid-electric propulsion system potentially offers superior performance compared to a conventional propulsion system, because the short-take-off power requirement is much higher than the cruise power requirement. This power-matching problem can be solved with a balanced hybrid propulsion system. However, there is a trade-off between wing loading, power loading, the level of hybridization, as well as range and take-off distance. An optimization method can vary design variables in such a way that a minimum of a particular objective is attained. In this paper, a comparison between the optimization results for minimum mass, minimum consumed primary energy, and minimum cost is conducted. A new initial sizing algorithm for general aviation aircraft with hybrid-electric propulsion systems is applied. This initial sizing methodology covers point performance, mission performance analysis, the weight estimation process, and cost estimation. The methodology is applied to the design of a STOL general aviation aircraft, intended for on-demand air mobility operations. The aircraft is sized to carry eight passengers over a distance of 500 km, while able to take off and land from short airstrips. Results indicate that parallel hybrid-electric propulsion systems must be considered for future STOL aircraft. Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13272-020-00449-8 SN - 1869-5590 N1 - Corresponding author: Felix Finger VL - 2020 IS - 11 SP - 713 EP - 730 PB - Springer CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Finger, Felix A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Bil, Cees T1 - Cost Estimation Methods for Hybrid-Electric General Aviation Aircraft T2 - Asia Pacific International Symposium on Aerospace Technology. APISAT 2019 Y1 - 2019 SP - 1 EP - 13 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Finger, Felix A1 - Marino, Matthew A1 - Bil, Cees A1 - Havermann, Marc A1 - Braun, Carsten T1 - A review of guidelines and best practices for subsonic aerodynamic simulations using RANS CFD T2 - Asia-Pacific International Symposium on Aerospace Technology (APISAT), At Gold Coast, Australia, 04. - 06. Dezember 2019 Y1 - 2019 SN - 978-1-925627-40-4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Havermann, Marc A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Marino, Matthew A1 - Bil, Cees T1 - Aerodynamic Investigations of UAV Sensor Turrets - A Combined Wind-tunnel and CFD Approach JF - SciTech 2021, AIAA SciTech Forum, online, WW, Jan 11-15, 2021 Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2021-1535 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - AIAA CY - Reston, Va. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Finger, Felix A1 - Götten, Falk T1 - Neue Ansätze für die Entwicklung von unbemannten Fluggeräten JF - Ingenieurspiegel N2 - Wie sieht das unbemannte Flugzeug von Übermorgen aus? Dieser Frage stellen sich Forscher an der Fachhochschule Aachen. Die weltweit rasant fortschreitende Entwicklung des Marktes für unbemannte Fluggeräte (UAVs - „Unmanned Aerial Vehicles“) bietet großes Potenzial für Wachstum und Wertschöpfung. Unbemannte fliegende Systeme können – für bestimmte Anwendungsgebiete – wesentlich günstiger, kleiner und effizienter ausgelegt werden als bemannte Lösungen. Dabei sind sich viele Unternehmen über das mögliche Potential dieser Technologie noch gar nicht bewusst. Y1 - 2019 SN - 1868-5919 N1 - Project: UAV Design VL - 2019 IS - 1 SP - 67 EP - 68 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Finger, Felix T1 - PhoenAIX – Die modulare Transportdrohne JF - Ingenieurspiegel N2 - Die autonome, unbemannte Luftfahrt ist einer der Schlüsselsektoren für die Zukunft der Luftfahrt. In diesem rasant wachsenden Bereich nehmen senkrecht startende und senkrecht landende Flugzeuge (Vertical Take-Off and Landing – VTOL) einen besonderen Platz ein. Ein VTOL-Flugzeug (manchmal auch „Transitionsfluggerät“ genannt) verbindet die Eigenschaft des Helikopters, überall starten und landen zu können, mit den Geschwindigkeits-, Reichweiten und Flugdauervorteilen des Starrflüglers. Grundsätzlich wird die Senkrechtstart- und -landefähigkeit sowohl von zivilen als auch von militärischen Betreibern unbemannter Fluggeräte (UAVs) gewünscht. Trotzdem bietet der Markt nur eine geringe Anzahl von VTOL-UAVs, da qualitativ hochwertige Entwürfe eine ausgesprochene Herausforderung in der Entwicklung darstellen. An der FH Aachen wird deshalb seit über 5 Jahren an der Auslegung und Analyse von solchen unbemannten VTOL Flugzeugen geforscht. Das neuste Projekt ist der Eigenentwurf einer großen, senkrechtstartenden Transportdrohne. Das „PhoenAIX“ getaufte Fluggerät wird von Falk Götten und Felix Finger im Rahmen einer EFRE-Förderung entwickelt. Y1 - 2020 SN - 1868-5919 N1 - Project: UAV Design VL - 2020 IS - 1 SP - 38 EP - 40 PB - Public Verlag CY - Bingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Finger, Felix A1 - Havermann, Marc A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Gomez, Francisco A1 - Bill, C. T1 - On the flight performance impact of landing gear drag reduction methods for unmanned air vehicles JF - Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress 2018 N2 - The flight performance impact of three different landing gear configurations on a small, fixed-wing UAV is analyzed with a combination of RANS CFD calculations and an incremental flight performance algorithm. A standard fixed landing gear configuration is taken as a baseline, while the influence of retracting the landing gear or applying streamlined fairings is investigated. A retraction leads to a significant parasite drag reduction, while also fairings promise large savings. The increase in lift-to-drag ratio is reduced at high lift coefficients due to the influence of induced drag. All configurations are tested on three different design missions with an incremental flight performance algorithm. A trade-off study is performed using the retracted or faired landing gear's weight increase as a variable. The analysis reveals only small mission performance gains as the aerodynamic improvements are negated by weight penalties. A new workflow for decision-making is presented that allows to estimate if a change in landing gear configuration is beneficial for a small UAV. Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.25967/480058 PB - DGLR CY - Bonn ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Havermann, Marc A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Gomez, Francisco A1 - Bil, Cees T1 - RANS Simulation Validation of a Small Sensor Turret for UAVs JF - Journal of Aerospace Engineering Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)AS.1943-5525.0001055 N1 - Article number 04019060 VL - 32 IS - 5 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Finger, Felix A1 - Havermann, Marc A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Marino, Matthew A1 - Bil, Cees T1 - A highly automated method for simulating airfoil characteristics at low Reynolds number using a RANS - transition approach T2 - Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress - DLRK 2019. Darmstadt, Germany Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.25967/490026 SP - 1 EP - 14 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Finger, Felix A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Bil, Cees T1 - Mass, Primary Energy, and Cost - The Impact of Optimization Objectives on the Initial Sizing of Hybrid-Electric General Aviation Aircraft T2 - Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress 2019, DLRK 2019. Darmstadt, Germany Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.25967/490012 SP - 1 EP - 17 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Finger, Felix T1 - Conceptual Design of a Modular 150 kg Vertical Take-off and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle T2 - Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress - DLRK 2019. Darmstadt, Germany Y1 - 2019 SP - 1 EP - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Havermann, Marc A1 - Braun, Carsten A1 - Marino, Matthew A1 - Bil, Cees T1 - Airfoil drag at low-to-medium reynolds numbers: A novel estimation method JF - AIAA Journal N2 - This paper presents a novel method for airfoil drag estimation at Reynolds numbers between 4×10⁵ and 4×10⁶. The novel method is based on a systematic study of 40 airfoils applying over 600 numerical simulations and considering natural transition. The influence of the airfoil thickness-to-chord ratio, camber, and freestream Reynolds number on both friction and pressure drag is analyzed in detail. Natural transition significantly affects drag characteristics and leads to distinct drag minima for different Reynolds numbers and thickness-to-chord ratios. The results of the systematic study are used to develop empirical correlations that can accurately predict an airfoil drag at low-lift conditions. The new approach estimates a transition location based on airfoil thickness-to-chord ratio, camber, and Reynolds number. It uses the transition location in a mixed laminar–turbulent skin-friction calculation, and corrects the skin-friction coefficient for separation effects. Pressure drag is estimated separately based on correlations of thickness-to-chord ratio, camber, and Reynolds number. The novel method shows excellent accuracy when compared with wind-tunnel measurements of multiple airfoils. It is easily integrable into existing aircraft design environments and is highly beneficial in the conceptual design stage. Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/1.J058983 SN - 1533-385X VL - 58 IS - 7 SP - 2791 EP - 2805 PB - AIAA CY - Reston, Va. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hammer, Thorben A1 - Quitter, Julius A1 - Mayntz, Joscha A1 - Bauschat, J.-Michael A1 - Dahmann, Peter A1 - Götten, Falk A1 - Hille, S. A1 - Stumpf, E. T1 - Free fall drag estimation of small-scale multirotor unmanned aircraft systems using computational fluid dynamics and wind tunnel experiments JF - CEAS Aeronautical Journal N2 - New European Union (EU) regulations for UAS operations require an operational risk analysis, which includes an estimation of the potential danger of the UAS crashing. A key parameter for the potential ground risk is the kinetic impact energy of the UAS. The kinetic energy depends on the impact velocity of the UAS and, therefore, on the aerodynamic drag and the weight during free fall. Hence, estimating the impact energy of a UAS requires an accurate drag estimation of the UAS in that state. The paper at hand presents the aerodynamic drag estimation of small-scale multirotor UAS. Multirotor UAS of various sizes and configurations were analysed with a fully unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes approach. These simulations included different velocities and various fuselage pitch angles of the UAS. The results were compared against force measurements performed in a subsonic wind tunnel and provided good consistency. Furthermore, the influence of the UAS`s fuselage pitch angle as well as the influence of fixed and free spinning propellers on the aerodynamic drag was analysed. Free spinning propellers may increase the drag by up to 110%, depending on the fuselage pitch angle. Increasing the fuselage pitch angle of the UAS lowers the drag by 40% up to 85%, depending on the UAS. The data presented in this paper allow for increased accuracy of ground risk assessments. KW - Multirotor UAS KW - Drag estimation KW - CFD KW - Wind tunnel experiments KW - Wind milling Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13272-023-00702-w SN - 1869-5590 (Online) SN - 1869-5582 (Print) N1 - Corresponding author: Thorben Hammer PB - Springer CY - Wien ER -