individual
What campus are you from?
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
David Zink, Graduate Student
Lead Presenter's Name
David Zink
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Nickolas D. Macchiarella
Abstract
Small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS) are being utilized in a variety of environments, where changes in air density and pressure can influence flight efficiency and control stability. This study quantified how density altitude affects electrical current draw, battery performance, and flight duration of a multirotor sUAS across varied elevations in Argentina and Chile. Standardized flight tests, including hover endurance, waypoint navigation, and manual maneuver sequences, were performed using a DJI Mavic 3E at sites ranging from near sea level to over 3,700 feet (1,100 m) above Mean Sea Level. A custom Arduino Uno payload designed to record temperature, humidity, and pressure was integrated onto the airframe to compare atmospheric data with the aircrafts telemetry. However, these environmental measurements were lost when the SD card was damaged during transport on return. Telemetry results from five flight tests help visualize the expected trend, increased current draw, and reduced endurance with increasing altitude. The low elevation missions averaged 7.7 Amperage draw and 13 minutes of flight, while high elevation missions averaged 8.6 A draw and 5 minutes. These findings help to confirm that efficiency declines as sUAS operate in thinner air. Although the loss of secondary sensor data prevents a complete comparative analysis, despite this the experimental methodology proved effective for evaluating performance. This work aimed to establish a repeatable test for future studies on high-altitude UAS research.
Did this research project receive funding support from the Office of Undergraduate Research.
No
Quantifying sUAS Efficiency Loss at Increasing Altitudes
Small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS) are being utilized in a variety of environments, where changes in air density and pressure can influence flight efficiency and control stability. This study quantified how density altitude affects electrical current draw, battery performance, and flight duration of a multirotor sUAS across varied elevations in Argentina and Chile. Standardized flight tests, including hover endurance, waypoint navigation, and manual maneuver sequences, were performed using a DJI Mavic 3E at sites ranging from near sea level to over 3,700 feet (1,100 m) above Mean Sea Level. A custom Arduino Uno payload designed to record temperature, humidity, and pressure was integrated onto the airframe to compare atmospheric data with the aircrafts telemetry. However, these environmental measurements were lost when the SD card was damaged during transport on return. Telemetry results from five flight tests help visualize the expected trend, increased current draw, and reduced endurance with increasing altitude. The low elevation missions averaged 7.7 Amperage draw and 13 minutes of flight, while high elevation missions averaged 8.6 A draw and 5 minutes. These findings help to confirm that efficiency declines as sUAS operate in thinner air. Although the loss of secondary sensor data prevents a complete comparative analysis, despite this the experimental methodology proved effective for evaluating performance. This work aimed to establish a repeatable test for future studies on high-altitude UAS research.