MSC Software Corporation

The Saab Skeldar V200 is a unique entrant in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market which is dominated by fixed wing aircraft. As a rotary wing aircraft, the Skeldar does not require runways to take-off or land from and can hover in one position. Skeldar is designed for land- and sea-based patrol, light transport, electronic warfare and surveillance applications. With dimensions of 4 meters long by 1.3 meters high by 1.2 meters wide, the UAV flies at speeds up to 130 km/h with a range of 150 km.

After validating the model, Persson applied it to the issue that had been experienced with the prototype and discovered that the simulation model accurately duplicated the behavior seen in the prototype. The simulation model provided far more detailed information than could be obtained by instrumenting the prototype, such as the aerodynamic forces acting on each section of the blades. The model also made it possible to evaluate the performance of the UAV under a much wider range of conditions than could ever be evaluated with the prototype due to the time, cost and risks involved in actual test flights.

• Leverage Adams simulation to accurately capture the interactions between the lifting forces on the rotor blades and downwash
• Use multiple-flexible part method to capture the large deformation of the rotor blades during the flight
• The aerodynamic forces and moments acting on the UAV are incorporated into the Adams model as a user-defined function
• Adams analysis results correlates well with physical tests regarding flight behavior
• Adams simulation saved the team at least 6 months compared to the traditional approach