Modeling of a dual-axis tilt-rotor mechanism for a high-performance quadrotor

Purpose This study aims to investigate the flight stability, control robustness and trajectory tracking performance of a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a dual-axis tilt-rotor mechanism, and compares its performance against conventional quadrotor designs. Design/methodology/approach A Newton–Euler approach is used to derive the full dynamic model of the tilt-rotor UAV (TRUAV). The prototype was manufactured using three-dimensional printing and computer numerical control (CNC) machining. A custom three-axis force and torque measurement device was designed and built for experimental characterization. The performance outcome was evaluated through MATLAB/Simulink simulations of 25 m square trajectory tracking and validated against experimental results. Findings The TRUAV demonstrated improved flight stability and control robustness compared to conventional quadrotors. In 25 m square trajectory tracking, the TRUAV completed the course in 10.6 s versus 17.15 s for the conventional quadrotor, representing approximately a 39.2% reduction in trajectory completion time. Rotor tilting produced approximately 5.6 times greater thrust and 3.22 times greater torque. Simulation and experimental results showed a close agreement, validating the proposed dynamic model. Originality/value This study presents a novel dual-axis tilt-rotor mechanism enabling independent pitch and roll tilting of each rotor, with the rotation center fixed at the propeller center for enhanced flight stability. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, unlike prior work, this study provides explicit quantitative experimental benchmarking of a dual-axis TRUAV against a conventional quadrotor in terms of speed, trajectory tracking, thrust force and torque performance.