Material Analysis of a Sample Airless Wheel That Can Be Used in The Landing Gear of Small UAVs for Smart Agriculture Using the Finite Element Method

Abstract

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in categories 1 and 2 are small in size and have a maximum gross take-off weight between 5 - 40 N and 40 - 250 N, with a normal operating altitude of 120 m above ground level. One of the major concerns for UAVs is the weight of aerial vehicles, which is aided primarily by material changes. Tires for UAVs are primarily made of ABS, rubber silicone, and nylon to reduce flight problems. These tires add to the dead weight and drag during flight. In response to these issues, a rigorous analysis was performed to select the best possible configuration using various materials such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), rubber silicone, and nylon materials. UAV wheel manufacturing is commonly known as the production of high-strength light-weighing parts. It also provides a broader range of design options and favors an iterative design approach, so it is important the method of production. To achieve the best results, the iterative design approach was used in the analysis application. The study incorporated a design for airless tires with 40 spokes, leveraging Autodesk Inventor Pro for modeling. Subsequently, the designs underwent Finite Element Analysis to assess static radial strength. Bending and torsion stresses during landing were deemed negligible owing to the lightweight nature of categories 1 and 2 UAVs and were thus excluded from the analysis. The modeled wheel design in Autodesk Inventor Pro analysis based on Finite Element Analysis of the airless wheels revealed that wheels made of rubber silicone exhibited superior shock absorption, with a deformation of only 2.314 mm at 625 N upon impact during UAV landing maneuvers.