Drone Ice - Fluid Structure Interaction Study of Icing on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)

UAV’s are being used for surveillance operations in cold regions of high north, where ice accretion on UAV’s has been recognized as hindrance in its optimal flight operations. There is a growing need to develop a better understanding of the effects of ice accretion on aero-elastic behaviour of UAV. Not much research has been carried out in this field, which highlights the necessity to address this issue and better understand the icing effect on aeroelastic behavior of the UAV. This project aims to perform a, ‘Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) based study of ice accretion on UAV’s, keeping in view the requirements of its’s optimum aerodynamic and structural features’. The study will cover both fixed wing UAV’s and Quadcopters. The gained knowledge from this project will help to improve UAV aero-elastic design and develop cost effective ice mitigation strategy for its operations in icing conditions.  

Project Duration:             2021-2025

Project Funded By:          UiT- The Arctic University of Norway

Budget:                           380,000 EUR