This document discusses research on micro air vehicles (MAVs), which are small unmanned aerial vehicles. It provides an overview of MAV applications such as reconnaissance, surveillance, and chemical/biological sensing. The document outlines key MAV technologies including flight control, propulsion, communication, and guidance/navigation systems. It also discusses aerodynamic challenges at low Reynolds numbers and potential solutions involving MEMS and adaptive wing shaping. Overall, the document presents MAVs as a promising new class of unmanned system that could provide military utility through a variety of potential reconnaissance and sensing missions.

1. Umesh Kumar Meher

2.  Multi functional, militarily capable, small flight
vehicles.
 size should be less than15cms.
 Reynold’s no < 10^5.
 For a Primarily intended and developed for
defence applications.

6.  Keeps security personnel out of harms by
providing situational awareness right down to
platoon level.
 Direct connectivity
 Can be individually controlled
 Can be used for a wide range of new missions _
(even unthought before!)

7.  Reconnaissance
 Surveillance
 Defence applications
 Weather forecast
 Wildlife study
&photography
 Crowd control
 Targetting
 Border surveillance
 Traffic monitoring
 Tracking criminals &
illegal activities
 Biochemical sensing
 Sesmic detection
 inspection of pipes

10. 1. FLIGHT CONTROL
2. PROPULSION SYSTEM
3. COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
4. GUIDANCE&NAVIGATION

11.  Completely different aerodynamics due to low
Reynold’s number
 Reynold’s no:= inertia force/viscous force
 Here viscous forces dominate while at high
Reynold’s no:’s inertia forces dominate
 Reynold’s no:=ρυc/µ
 Low reynold’s no: flights may have lift to drag
ratioof 5 to 10(conventional flights have these
ratios 3 to 4 times higher)

13.  Due to small size it needs to have high surface
to volume ratios to generate the required thrust
 Aspect ratio=WS/chord length ,or WS²/total wing
area
 Exact ratio depends upon the total weight
 The best aspect ratios usually lie between 1&2
 Stability and control issues related to low
weight ,small moment of inertia ,wind gusts also
needs to be addressed

15.  Angle of attack shoud be 5-12° for good
endurance.
 If angle of attack <5, low aerodynamic efficiency
 Endurance=φ/powerequirement
 For optimal endurance the mav shoud fly at7°
 Hysterisis may occur (lift to drag ratio different
from normalwhen angle of attack differs)

16.  Use strategies using MEMS to improve aero
dynamic perfomance
 Create &install tiny sensors to dynamically
adjust camber(curvature)and shape depending
on instantaneous conditions
 miniature actuators can be used to move the
control surfaces like rudders ailerons and flaps
 Flow character over the wings could be
controlled by sensor arrays that detect shear
stresses or fluid vortices
 Flexible mebranes or micro flaps to affect the
flow as required

17.  Flow seperation an be mitigated by air sution or
absorption as required,(requires micro valve or
pump),wallheat transfer or electro magnetic force as
required
 Exhausted air is directed out of the trailing edge to
prevent flow seperation,which also inreases lift
 Micro motors piezoelectricdevices magneto elastic
ribbons are all alternatives for performing the actuator
function in a flight control system
 Processing these control systems may require soft
computational techniques like fuzzy logic,neutral
networks,genetical algorithms or knowledge based
systems

18.  Rotary wings, fixed wings, or alternate flapping& gliding
wings could be employed
 Wing shape could be circular, elliptical, rectangular,
Zimmerman or inverse Zimmerman
 Flapping &gliding and inverse Zimmerman proved to be
most efficient
 Wing type depends on requirement
 Composite materials ,carbon fibre cloth strips, carbon
fibre-balsawood sand witches are commonly used
 Single or double layer of carbon fibre cloth wetted with
epoxy resin
 Balsa wood for frame and carbon fibre glass cloth for
reinforcing critical areas like leading edges and wing tips is
a super combination

20.  Distend (fill) with air or gas
 Application in UAV, military
 To stow the wings
 Can be launched from gun or aircraft

21.  Can be packed to 1/10 of original size
 Low mass
 Low power requirements
 High reusability
 It can be steered, accelerated, and decelerated in
level flight.
 High stability and control
 High lift and slow landing speed

22.  Experiment conducted
using I 2000
 It was launched from
800-1000 feet
 Inflatable wings comes
out in 13 sec
 Successfully controlled
the launch,flight and
landing

23.  by using piezoelectricby using piezoelectric
materialmaterial

24.  actuator can be quartz and substrate can be
aluminum or steel
 inflatable wings has smooth surface so low value
of skin friction

25.  Propulsion system alone consumes 90% of total
power
 Lithium alkaline batteries
 IC engines
 Pulse jet engines
 Micro jets
 Reciprocating chemical muscle
 Self consuming system
 Lithium battery that recharges using solar
energy and fuel cells are also future prospects

26.  A video/still camera, various sensors ,a micro
processor, transducers& an omni directional
antennae are the major components
 Challenges are small antennae, restriction of
power available
 Based on the application either cellular
communication or satellite communication could
be employed.
 CCD cameras and IR sensors, nuclear,
biological or chemical agent sensors, acoustic
sensors could be used.

27.  Completely autonomous navigation system needs to
have the ability to use sensory data for on board
processing thus avoiding obstacles. (complete
dependence on remote is undesirable)
 A combination of GPS+inertial sensing is ideal
 Geographical information system to provide a map terrain
for infrastructure would be great
 Pressure sensors acting as altimeters, accelerometers,
low drift gyroscopes and also systems capable of locating
the mav ’s position with respect to the launch point form a
part of the inertial navigation system

29.  Micro Air Vehicles are a class of UAVs whose time has just about come.
A confluence of key events is about to occur that will enable these
versatile aircraft to have military effects disproportionate to their diminutive
size. The supporting technologies are progressing rapidly to the point that
first simple, short-duration missions will be possible, then with time, more
varied and enduring applications. At the same time, the need for weapons
that help achieve the Joint Chief of Staff vision for dominant maneuvering
precision engagement, full dimensional protection, and focused logistics will
be more pressing than ever. The military utility of MAVs in this context can
only grow as they come closer to realizing their potential. At the start,
microairvehicles could find application by providing localized imaging
reconnaissance. Then as other key technologies mature, uses may expand
to electronic warfare, nuclear, biological, and chemical agent warning, and
battle damage assessment. Later still, we could see MAVs autonomously
flying through air shafts reconnoitering deeply buried bunkers and reporting
back to enable proper configuration of penetrating weapons. MAVs might
then proliferate throughout the force structure becoming as much an —
arrow in the quiver“ of the foot soldier as another round on the hardpoint of
a fighter‘s wing.

30.  Research paper “Death by a thousand cuts”micro air vehicles in the service of air force missions-
by ARTHUR F HUBER,II LT COL USAF
 http://mil.ufl.edu/~nechyba
 2. Davis, W.R., "Micro UAV," Presentation to 23rd Annual AUVSI Symposium, 15-19 July, 1996.

Research paper by James M. McMichael Program Manager Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency
 and
 Col. Michael S. Francis, USAF (Ret.) formerly of Defense Airborne
Reconnaissance Office
 MICRO AERIAL VEHICLE DEVELOPMENT: DESIGN, COMPONENTS,
FABRICATION, AND FLIGHT-TESTING
Research paper by Gabriel Torres and Thomas J. Mueller
 117 Hessert Center, University of Notre Dame
 Notre Dame, IN 46556
 DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A MICRO AIR VEHICLE
 CONCEPT: PROJECT BIDULE
 Mr T. Spoerry1, Dr K.C. Wong
 School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering
 University of Sydney
 NSW 2006

31.  Aerodynamics for engineers:-John J. Bertin
 Mechanics of flight :-A.C Kermode
 Inflatable wing on aircraft article :-new scientist june 2001
 www. nasa explores. COMaerodynamicsinflatable wing
 Miller, Jay,, The X-Planes, Aero fax, Arlington, Texas, 1988
 morphing of inflatable wing for UAV David Cardigan* and Tim
Smith†
 ILC Dover, Frederica, DE 19946
 Innovative Wing Design Could Soar in Martian Skies by
benianntova
 Inflatable wing for high lift john H gleen research centre Ohio
 www.nastech.com/mechtech
 www.spaceref.com/newtech
 www.nasa.gov/aerodynamics
 www.nasa.gov/multimeadia

32.  Mueller, T. J., "Low Reynolds Number Vehicles", AGARDograph No. 288, 1985
 Lissaman, P. B. S., "Low-Reynolds-Number Airfoils", Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 15, 1983, pp. 223-239
 Burgart, M., Miller, J., and Murphy, L., "Design of a Micro Air Vehicle for the 2000 MAV Competition", internal progress report, University of
Notre Dame, 2000
 ernet, 14 December 2000, available from http://defence-data.com/f2000/
 pagefa1006.htm.
 Air Force 2—A New Thrust in DERA Micro Air Vehicle Development,“ 24 July 2000, n.p.: On-line.
 Int 025, August 1996, n.p.; On-line. Internet, 18 December 2000, available from
 http://www.au.af.mil/au/2025/index2.htm.
 Air Force Doctrine Document (AFDD) 1, Air Force Basic Doctrine, September 1997.
 Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, New World Vistas Air and Space Power for the 21st
 Century Summary Volume, 1995, n.p.; On-line. Internet, 4 December 2000, available
 from http://www.sab.hq.af.mil/Archives/1995/NWV/vistas.htm.
 Ashley, Steven, —Palm-size Spy Plane,“ Mechanical Engineering, February 1998, n.p.;
 On-line. Internet, 16 November 2000, available at http://www.memagazine.org/
 backissues/february98/features/palmsize/palmsize.html.
 Ashley, Steven, —Turbines on a Dime,“ Mechanical Engineering, October 1997, n.p.; On-
 line. Internet, 16 November 2000, available at http://www.memagazine.org/
 backissues/october97/features/turbdime/ turbdime.html.
 Barrows, Geoffrey L., —Optic Flow Sensors for MAV Navigation,“ Proceedings of the
 Conference on Fixed, Flapping and Rotary Vehicles at Very Low Reynolds Numbers,
 5-7 June 2000, University of Notre Dame, ed. Thomas J. Mueller, 13 pages.
 Brendley, Keith W. and Randall Steeb, Military Applications of Microelectromechanical
 Systems, RAND Report MR-175-OSD/AF/A. Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 1993.
 Carroll, Bruce, —MEMS for Micro Air Vehicles,“ Project Summaries, n.p.; On-line.
 Internet, 24 August 2000, available from http://www.darpa.mil/MTO/MEMS/
 Projects/individual_66.html.
 Carroll, S., —US Navy, DARPA Develop IMINT/EW Payloads for Mini-UAVs,“ Journal
 of Electronic Defense 21, no. 9 (September 1998): 30-32.
 Chandler, Jerome Greer, —Micro Planes,“ Popular Science 252, no. 1 (January 1998): 54-
 59.