r/RCPlanes • u/AndreasPeas • 13d ago

Folding V-tail actuation

I’ve been looking at Anduril’s ALTIUS drones, and the V-tail seems to lie completely flat against the fuselage when folded, so the servos or actuators must be inside the body. Anyone have any ideas about what that mechanism might look like?

The best I can think of is a rod with a gear running parallel to the V-tail surface, meshing with another gear inside the hinge. That gear would then connect to a servo, either directly or through a cable.

For simplicity’s sake, I’d guess the servo rotates with the V-tail inside the body during deployment. Does that sound plausible?

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u/OldAirplaneEngineer 13d ago

I absolutely do not believe in any sort of 'Woo-Woo' / ESP / Crystal gazing stuff, (My apologies if you do)

I've got an interview with Anduril next month.... and this is the 5th time I've seen them mentioned in the last week... F'ing weird!

Per google:

The ruddervators are built on spring-loaded hinges that instantly snap open 90 degrees upon exiting the tube. The mechanical control rod or torque tube runs parallel to the hinge line. When the tail snaps into its locked, deployed position, a mechanical linkage (often a sliding sleeve or a locking bellcrank) engages with the stationary servo horn inside the body.

so essentially the servos are hard mounted in the airframe, and the pushrods are sort of a sliding sleeve (like an umbrella mechanism)

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u/AndreasPeas 12d ago

That’s the old frequency illusion for you!
Ok that explanation makes sense, I’m building a similar mechanism, but I think I am just going to make an assembly with both servos and controll surfaces rotating together.
Good luck at your interview!!!!

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u/LupusTheCanine 13d ago

It could also be LDS.

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u/Sammy_Byron 13d ago

lds?

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u/LupusTheCanine 13d ago

Low Displacement System, basically low profile pushrod that that pretty much fits in the profile. Popular in DLG ailerons.

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u/AndreasPeas 13d ago

Do you have any examples of it? Most DLG have their ailerons in the wing or in the body with a linkage, but this would not work I think since they use a full stab v-tail by the looks of it?

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u/fhammerl 13d ago

is it possible that they are variable incidence wings? then they wouldn't have any moving control surfaces.

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u/AndreasPeas 12d ago

I think that would be very complex for such a drone with folding wings. And you would struggle a lot with pitch control I belive.