Development of Experimental Facilities for Multi-Mission MAVs

Multi-mission Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) are now becoming more challenging and attractive. Therefore, high speed, low speed and hovering capacities should be studied and performed. The aerodynamics of these new MAVs are very complex due to several problems including very low aspect ratio wings, very low Reynolds number (Re) flows, very high angle of attack flight, and very high interaction between the propeller and the airframe. These complex aerodynamics can not be yet exactly determined by numerical tools. Therefore, research and design studies of multi-mission MAVs should be conducted by wind tunnel testing. This paper summarizes the developments of low speed low Reynolds testing facilities for multi mission MAV research at ISAE-SUPAERO. The experimental facilities have been modified and developed in order to obtain good experimental results at low speed and low Re numbers which include: a) improvement in low speed stability of the wind tunnel, b) development of a new high precision balance for wing-propulsive interaction test, and c) longitudinal gust generator system for flexible wing studies. The performance and advantage of the facilities has been proved by research and successful design of a low speed fixed wing MAV (the TYTO) and VTOL MAV (the MiniVertiGo and the MAVion).