Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Undergraduate
Project Type
group
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Matthew Hein, Senior Jared Getz, Senior Alexandre Simoes, Senior Nikolaos Vlahos, Senior Samuel Llauger, Senior Theodore Miller, Senior Cooper Svoboda, Senior
Lead Presenter's Name
Matthew Hein
Lead Presenter's College
DB College of Engineering
Faculty Mentor Name
Alberto Mello
Abstract
The United States would require extensive air coverage in the event of foreign invasion. Current aircraft, while extremely capable, are expensive and lower in numbers. The defense of the “homeland” would benefit greatly from supplementary, remotely operable interceptor aircraft to bolster the current U.S. aircraft fleet all while minimizing risk to military personnel. This project, the YF-150 King Cobra, aims to fill this gap by designing a high-performance, cost-efficient interceptor aircraft to be produced in large numbers. The YF-150 design process started with constraint analysis to ensure key performance goals were met such as time to climb, max airspeed, and specific excess power. After preliminary design yielded sizing and geometry through various trade studies and calculations, further detailed work was done to size internal structure components to ensure the design was feasible. In addition, damage tolerance analysis and fatigue analysis of these structures was completed to ensure continued safety and reliability of the aircraft while meeting desired service life goals. The detailed wing structure design supports required load factors, accounting for a required factor of safety and desired safety margins, while ultimately meeting anticipated structural weight requirements. Critical stress concentrations were reduced, and fatigue life was improved through optimized load paths and material selection. This study demonstrates the practicality behind the design of the YF-150 King Cobra, highlighting key wing structure components such as the spars, ribs, stringers, control surfaces, and skin.
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?
No
Next-Gen Unmanned Technologies YF-150 King Cobra
The United States would require extensive air coverage in the event of foreign invasion. Current aircraft, while extremely capable, are expensive and lower in numbers. The defense of the “homeland” would benefit greatly from supplementary, remotely operable interceptor aircraft to bolster the current U.S. aircraft fleet all while minimizing risk to military personnel. This project, the YF-150 King Cobra, aims to fill this gap by designing a high-performance, cost-efficient interceptor aircraft to be produced in large numbers. The YF-150 design process started with constraint analysis to ensure key performance goals were met such as time to climb, max airspeed, and specific excess power. After preliminary design yielded sizing and geometry through various trade studies and calculations, further detailed work was done to size internal structure components to ensure the design was feasible. In addition, damage tolerance analysis and fatigue analysis of these structures was completed to ensure continued safety and reliability of the aircraft while meeting desired service life goals. The detailed wing structure design supports required load factors, accounting for a required factor of safety and desired safety margins, while ultimately meeting anticipated structural weight requirements. Critical stress concentrations were reduced, and fatigue life was improved through optimized load paths and material selection. This study demonstrates the practicality behind the design of the YF-150 King Cobra, highlighting key wing structure components such as the spars, ribs, stringers, control surfaces, and skin.