EARTHLY DYNAMICS LLC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: A20-006

Description

There are considerable differences between the RLG systems experimentally validated to date and the needs of a Future UAS. Earthly Dynamics Corporation (EDC) proposes to explore these differences and design a new RLG for Class IV UAS with iterative and thorough design space characterization. EDC engineers will utilize their unique experience alongside collaborators from Georgia Tech (GT) and the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) to design a new class of UAS articulated landing gear with cohesion between the aircraft and landing gear. This expertise will be used generate a diverse concept space of landing gear topologies, actuation methods, crashworthy structural geometries, and sensing and control techniques. EDC’s knowledge in design and implementation of sensors, actuators, and flight software for challenging Army cargo airdrop environments will inform state of the art and viable mechatronic technologies. Experts from subcontractor Georgia Tech will support crashworthy structure analysis and design, and subcontractor Georgia Tech Research Institute will guide Army specific logistics and usability considerations of the design. EDC proposes a unique set of first-order sizing and trade study tools to down-select viable concepts in the design space. The most promising configurations and enabling technologies will be analyzed further for a surrogate Class IV UAS airframe using integrated multibody dynamic simulations and modern computer aided design tools. EDC proposes that the most promising design that balances weight, aircraft drag, and landing zone performance enhancements undergo a preliminary design cycle with the intent of experimental validation. The complete design cycle will develop the tools and future requirements to integrate an articulated landing gear system onto the Army’s Future UAS.