A Study of the Collision Impact Characteristics of Wheeled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

In order to improve the crashworthiness of UAVs, this paper improves and designs a wheeled UAV structure from a traditional quadrotor platform, focusing on its drop impact response characteristics. Aiming at the drop impacts that wheeled UAVs may face during flight and landing, this paper systematically investigates the structural response of UAVs under different drop conditions based on the display dynamics theory. By establishing a refined finite element model containing a tyre cushioning system and using ANSYS/LS-DYNA finite element simulation, the maximum equivalent force distribution law with or without wheels, at different drop heights and multi-angle attitudes, is analysed. The simulation results show that the presence of wheels significantly changes the drop impact stress transfer path and reduces the risk of damage to critical parts of the fuselage. This study provides a theoretical basis and engineering guidance for the impact resistance design of wheeled UAVs.