A physics-based approach to urban air mobility

Abstract

High-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations for multi-rotor vehicles have been carried out. The three-dimensional unsteady Navier-Stokes equations are solved on overset grids employing high order accurate schemes, dual-time stepping, and a hybrid turbulence model using NASA's CFD code Overflow. The vehicles studied consist of small to medium sized drones, and bigger vehicles for future Urban Air Mobility (UAM) applications. The performances for different configurations and rotor mounting are calculated in hover and in forward flight. Understanding the complex flows and the interactions between rotors and with other elements will help design the future multi-rotor vehicles to be quieter, safer, and more efficient.