Dangerous Area of Tethered UAV Due to Impact

Tethered UAV is composed of a UAV platform, tethered cable and winch. The UAV platform and tethered cable are an interactive whole, and the movement of the UAV platform will change the configuration and tension of the tethered cable. Under extreme external conditions (such as strong airflow) or unprofessional operation, the UAV platform will be prone to extreme movement, which will impact the tethered cable, and in serious cases, the tethered UAV will not work normally. To study the influence on the tethered UAV due to impact, equations for the relation between impact stress and impact parameters are derived and numerically solved to determine the dangerous area of the tethered UAV based on two failure criteria. The obtained results reveal that a smaller elastic modulus and cross-sectional area will lead to less failure of the tethered UAV, and the breaking strength of the cable is vital to the tethered UAV when it is impacted. Engineering suggestions are also provided to make tethered UAVs safer.