AIAA Design/Build/Fly UAV Development Results
Project Type
group
Authors' Class Standing
Trevor Perrott, Senior
Lead Presenter's Name
Trevor Perrott
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. J. Gordon Leishman
Abstract
In 2016, the AIAA Foundation released a request for proposals for the design, production and flight demonstration of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that needed to be stored and dropped in casing tube. This presentation captures the design, material selection and the manufacturing and testing processes, as well as the results associated with the research and development for submission to the AIAA Design/Build/Fly competition. The objective was to produce a UAV capable of flying the payload (hockey pucks) as far and as fast as possible. The UAV was required to be reconfigured into a storage configuration using only self-aligning and self-locking captive mechanisms. The dimensions of the casing tube as well as the weights of the UAV and tube were penalties in the total score. A multi-disciplinary engineering approach was taken to balance design requirements and optimize the operation and functionality of whole system. Aerodynamic and structural computer models were used in the design process. Computer-controlled manufacturing processes were used to build high quality parts and expedite the construction. Finally, during flight testing, electronic telemetry equipment was used to gather experimental data to validate design expectations.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
Yes, Ignite Grant
AIAA Design/Build/Fly UAV Development Results
In 2016, the AIAA Foundation released a request for proposals for the design, production and flight demonstration of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that needed to be stored and dropped in casing tube. This presentation captures the design, material selection and the manufacturing and testing processes, as well as the results associated with the research and development for submission to the AIAA Design/Build/Fly competition. The objective was to produce a UAV capable of flying the payload (hockey pucks) as far and as fast as possible. The UAV was required to be reconfigured into a storage configuration using only self-aligning and self-locking captive mechanisms. The dimensions of the casing tube as well as the weights of the UAV and tube were penalties in the total score. A multi-disciplinary engineering approach was taken to balance design requirements and optimize the operation and functionality of whole system. Aerodynamic and structural computer models were used in the design process. Computer-controlled manufacturing processes were used to build high quality parts and expedite the construction. Finally, during flight testing, electronic telemetry equipment was used to gather experimental data to validate design expectations.