Design Optimization of Monoblade Autorotating Pods To Exhibit an Unconventional Descent Technique Using Glauert's Modelling

TL;DR

This paper presents a bio-inspired monoblade autorotating pod design using Glauert's BEMT model and MATLAB optimization, enabling controlled descent without traditional propulsion or parachutes for aerospace applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel bio-inspired monoblade autorotation mechanism optimized via Glauert's BEMT and MATLAB tools for aerospace descent applications.

Findings

Optimized monoblade design with maximum power coefficient.

Stable free-flight simulation confirming global stability.

Potential for use in planetary and interplanetary descent without parachutes.

Abstract

Many unconventional descent mechanisms are evolved in nature to maximize the dispersion of seeds to increase the population of floral species. The induced autorotation produces lift through asymmetrical weight distribution, increasing the fall duration and giving the seed extra time to get drifted away by the wind. The proposed bio-inspired concept was used to produce novel modern pods for various aerospace applications that require free-falling or controlled velocity descent in planetary or interplanetary missions without relying on traditional techniques such as propulsion-based descent and the use of parachutes. We provide an explanation for the design procedure and the functioning of a mono blade auto-rotating wing. An element-based computational method based on Glauert's blade element momentum theory (BEMT) model was employed to estimate the geometry by maximizing the coefficient of power through MATLAB's optimization toolbox using the Sequential quadratic programming (SQP) solver. The dynamic model was developed for the single-wing design through the MATLAB Simulink 6-DOF toolbox to carry out a free-flight simulation of the wing to verify its global stability.