FFD 2011 Best Design Report
Transcription
FFD 2011 Best Design Report
PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 1 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 FFD 2011 “BURAQ” BURAQ” COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY RISALPUR COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 2 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary..................................................................................................................... 5 1.1. Design Strategy..................................................................................................................... 5 1.2. Design Characteristics ......................................................................................................... 5 1.3. Aircraft Performance ............................................................................................................ 6 2. Management Summary................................................................................................................ 7 2.1. Team Introduction ................................................................................................................. 7 2.2. Workload Distribution ........................................................................................................... 7 2.3. Timeline ................................................................................................................................. 8 3. Conceptual Design ...................................................................................................................... 9 3.1. Mission Analysis ................................................................................................................... 9 3.2. Airfield Observations .......................................................................................................... 10 3.3. Aircraft Requirements ........................................................................................................ 10 3.4. Payload Requirements........................................................................................................ 10 3.5. Score Analysis .................................................................................................................... 11 3.6. Problem Statement ............................................................................................................. 11 3.7. Design Requirements ......................................................................................................... 11 3.8. Concept Collection ............................................................................................................. 13 3.9. Figures of Merit ................................................................................................................... 16 3.10. Concept Selection ............................................................................................................. 16 3.11. Final Concept .................................................................................................................... 19 4. Preliminary Design .................................................................................................................... 20 4.1. Mission Profile .................................................................................................................... 20 4.2. Design Point........................................................................................................................ 21 4.3. Weight Estimation ............................................................................................................... 21 4.4. Airfoil Selection................................................................................................................... 21 4.5. Geometric Sizing................................................................................................................. 23 4.6. Aerodynamic Analysis........................................................................................................ 23 4.7. Propulsion Analysis............................................................................................................ 25 4.8. Structural Loads ................................................................................................................. 26 4.9. Stability Analysis ................................................................................................................ 27 4.10. Aircraft Performance ........................................................................................................ 28 5. Detail Design .............................................................................................................................. 29 5.1. Dimensional Characteristics .............................................................................................. 29 5.2. Structural Systems and Capabilities .................................................................................. 30 5.3. Systems and Sub Systems ................................................................................................. 33 5.4. Weight and Balance ............................................................................................................ 35 COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 3 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 5.5. Final Aircraft and Mission Performance ............................................................................ 37 5.6. Drawing Package ................................................................................................................ 37 6. Manufacturing Plan ................................................................................................................... 43 6.1. Figures of Merit ................................................................................................................... 43 6.2. Fuselage .............................................................................................................................. 44 6.3. Wings................................................................................................................................... 45 6.4. Tails ..................................................................................................................................... 46 6.5. Manufacturing Timeline ...................................................................................................... 46 7. Testing Plan ............................................................................................................................... 47 7.1. Ground Testing Plan ........................................................................................................... 47 7.2. Check List ........................................................................................................................... 47 7.3. Flight Testing Plan .............................................................................................................. 48 8. Performance Results ................................................................................................................. 49 8.1. Ground Testing Results...................................................................................................... 49 8.2. Flight Testing Performance ................................................................................................ 51 9. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 52 9.1. References .......................................................................................................................... 53 COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 4 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 1. Executive Summary The following report presents the design and development of a fire extinguisher unmanned radio controlled aerial vehicle by team “BURAQ” comprising of undergraduate students of College of Aeronautical Engineering, Pakistan Air Force Academy, Risalpur. The team will compete at the Future Flight Design Contest 2011 being held at Istanbul to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Turkish Air Force. The target will be to complete all three designated missions in the most befitting manner and obtain maximum design and flight score at FFD. 1.1. Design Strategy The first step was requirement identification and selection of target technical specifications along with desirability values like minimum weight and cost. After a detailed analysis of FFD requirements including payload, performance and sizing, a target technical specifications for the UAV was defined and design process was initiated to satisfy these specifications with minimal weight and cost. The design process started with the conceptual design which not only helped finalize the basic configuration but also helped determine the initial weight and geometric sizing of the UAV. After finalizing the initial dimensions of the UAV the design process entered into the preliminary stage where high fidelity analysis was carried out using Computational Fluid Dynamics to determine the lift and drag characteristics of the UAV. Using this data the stability parameters were calculated and the structural loads were determined. Limited theoretical propulsion analyses were also carried out during the same design phase. Depending upon any shortcomings felt during the preliminary design, required changes were made and the external dimensions were frozen. The detailed design was made using the CAD software. The major area of concern during the detailed design was to address the integration and manufacturing issues with adequate strength to bear the aerodynamic loads. Detailed parts, template and mould drawings were thus generated and manufacturing process was initiated. The UAV was completely built by team members, without any external help. Fiberglass moulds, composite reinforcements, precise balsa sheeting and many other techniques were applied by the team members to construct the UAV parts. Final assembly was performed along with avionics and propulsion integration. Structural testing was carried out by applying the predicted aerodynamic loads and weight balancing was carried out in order to bring the centre of gravity close to the aerodynamic centre for better stability features. Finally the flights started with each test flight constituting of post flight and pre flight checks. The performance parameters of the actual UAV were also determined. 1.2 Design Characteristics Obtaining the best solution for the FFD requirements was a challenging task. A scoring matrix was formulated which revealed that minimizing aircraft weight and flight time will yield the maximum score. In addition to this UAV must satisfy the constraints to make a short takeoff within 40m distance and carry payload balls that have to drop during the flight on specified targets. The maximum payload COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 5 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 capability of the UAV will help in maximizing the last mission score. This variation of scoring criteria made the solution of FFD UAV quite complex as the lighter aircraft will have better scores in first two mission but will face problems during the third mission when payload drop will result in large C.G change for a lighter aircraft. Therefore detailed analysis was carried out to choose the best solution for all three missions. The conventional design UAV featuring light rectangular wing mounted on a fuselage with conventional tails was found to be the most appealing solution as it gave best results for achieving good performance along with ease of manufacturing and being cost effective. The wing span of 5.8 ft 2 with an area of 7.8 ft was selected to compensate for the thrust limit imposed due to 40A current requirement. The total length of the aircraft is 5.16 ft with an empty weight of 12 lb. Conventional tail with horizontal tail span of 32 in and vertical tail height of 15.6 in was incorporated on a 29 in long boom. The wings were made with traditional foam core method with carbon fiber spars. The two piece carbon fiber fuselage was extracted from upper and lower female moulds. Tails were made using the pink foam reinforced with carbon spars. The UAV was powered by AXI brushless motor using a 6 cell Lithium Polymer (LiPo) battery. 1.3. Aircraft Performance The UAV was designed to complete all the three contest missions and satisfy all the technical and safety requirements. The performance parameters of the UAV with maximum takeoff weight are documented as follows; Empty Weight 12 lb Maximum Takeoff Weight 20.6 lb Maximum Payload Capacity 8.6 lb Wing Loading 2.66 lb/ft2 CL max 1.6 Maximum Velocity 65 ft/s Maximum Rate of Climb 240 ft/min Minimum Takeoff Roll 90 ft Stall Velocity 38 ft/s Instantaneous Turn Rate 95 deg/sec Max Thrust 7.5 lb COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 6 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 2. Management Summary 2.1. Team Introduction The team “BURAQ” consisted of four undergraduate students from PAF College of Aeronautical Engineering. The team was supervised by team advisor Wing Commander Dr Messam Abbas Naqvi of Aerospace Engineering Department. He teaches subjects of Aerospace Vehicle Design and Aircraft Performance at CAE and holds a doctorate degree in Aircraft Design and Multi Disciplinary Design Optimization from Georgia Tech, USA and has been involved in various national level projects of UAVs. The team was selected on the basis of personal interests and expertise in the field of UAVs. The brief introduction of team is as follows. Wing Commander Dr Messam Abbas Naqvi Team Advisor Squadron Leader Dr Irtiza Ali Shah Co Advisor Pilot Officer Waqas Akram Pilot Officer Syed Aoun Pilot Officer Usman Umer Pilot Officer Amir Abdullah Team Leader/Pilot Team Member Team Member Team Member 2.2. Workload Distribution Team management is the key to any successful project. Therefore the team was placed in a certain hierarchy where the team advisor kept an overall watch and took care of all the official formalities. The team leader led the team assigning job to the rest of the team member during every design phase and subsequently dividing the workload during the manufacturing process and report writing. The work distribution among the team member during various design phases is as follows Waqas Usman Abdullah Aoun Mission Analysis Scoring Mission Performance Analysis Propulsion Feasibility Design Report Requirements Conceptual Design Fuselage Design Wing Design Payloads Tail Design Preliminary Design CFD Structural Loads Mission Profile Optimization Detailed Design CAD Structural Analysis Weight Calculations Drawing Package Manufacturing Fuselage Wings Payloads Empenage Ground Testing Propulsion Testing Wing Strenght Test Paylolad Release System CG Testing COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 7 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 Every design segment was initiated after a meeting of team members and advisor in which the work strategy was finalized and tasks were assigned to all the team members on the basis of their aptitude and expertise and milestones were defined for task completion as per the timeline defined. Based on the individual efforts and complexity of different tasks, compatibility issues were resolved and where ever needed, either the human resource was beefed up for a complex task or more time was allotted. 2.3. Timeline A timeline was also defined with the initiation of the project keeping in view the limitations imposed by the military training schedule of the trainee officers. All efforts were made to follow the time line and it helped in the timely completion of the UAV design COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 8 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 3. Conceptual Design Conceptual design is technically the most important phase in aircraft design. Any wrong decision in this design phase can lead to failures at later stage resulting in time and cost penalty. A thorough research was carried out to ascertain the design of the UAV. All the important factors like cost, weight penalty, stability, manufacturing and innovations where catered during the selection phase. Mission Analysis Mission Requirements Target Specifications Concept Survey Concept Selection However the most important stage before actual commencing of the design phase is to analyze the required specifications and the mission that the UAV is supposed to carry out. All the factors like contest requirements, airfield issues and team limitations were studied and a set of target specifications were chalked out as per the RFP (Request for Proposal) provided by the FFD 2011. 3.1. Mission Analysis The UAV will be required to fly three different kinds of missions during the contest. The general flight path of the mission was provided by the FFD 2011. Each mission has slightly different scoring criteria. The detailed description of the three missions is as follows. 3.1.1. Mission One In this mission the UAV will fly a two lap mission to determine the drop zone or fire area. The UAV will not be flying with any kind of payload and the scoring will be done on the basis of total flight time and the aircraft weight for that mission. 3.1.2 Mission Two In this mission the UAV will fly a one lap mission with one fire extinguisher ball. The scoring will be again done on the basis of flight time and weight. However the flight time for this mission will include the loading time of the payload. 3.1.3. Mission Three This mission will be flown with the maximum payload capability of the UAV and the balls will be dropped on the respective fire areas designated by the red lines. The mission score will be judged by the payload carried and the flight time. Mission three carries 50% more weightage than the other two missions. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 9 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 3.1.4. Mission Requirements Apart from the scoring factors for each mission there are certain requirements that are to be fulfilled by the designed UAV which will otherwise result in score deduction. These requirements are listed as; (a) Takeoff distance should be less than 40m (130 ft) (b) Aircraft should make a successful landing to be eligible for the mission score (c) Aircraft should not sustain any significant damage during the landing 3.2. Airfield Observations The contest will be held at Hezarfen Airport in Istanbul. The climate conditions during May are appropriate for RC flying. Also the airfield is quite vast and seems quite suitable for good flying. The UAVs will be easily able to make straight in approaches. 3.3. Aircraft Requirements Along with the mission requirements, there are certain aircraft requirements that the UAV should satisfy in order to pass the technical inspection prior to the contest. (a) Aircraft should fit in a box of 4.9 ft x 2.6 ft x 2.6 ft dimension. (b) Aircraft should be powered by off the shelf Electric Motor and Propeller. (c) The propulsion system cannot draw more than 40 Amperes of current. (d) Aircraft should perform unassisted takeoff from onboard batteries. 3.4 Payload Requirements The aircraft will be required to carry fire extinguisher balls as per the mission requirements. Two types of balls will be provided by the contest authorities. Ball A has a diameter of 10 cm and a weight of 1 kg whereas Ball B has diameter of 15 cm and weight of 1.3 kg. The aircraft will have to carry two or three balls during the last mission which means four types of combinations will be available. S. No Ball Type Number of Balls Total Weight (kg) 1 A 2 2 2 A 3 3 3 B 2 2.6 4 B 3 3.9 COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 10 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 3.5 Score Analysis 3.5.1. First and Second Mission The flight score for first mission will be based on relative basis with maximum score going to the lightest and fastest aircraft. The maximum achievable score is 100 points per mission. 3.5.2. Third Mission The flight score for the third mission will be based on maximum payload capacity and flight time. As mentioned earlier the weightage is 50% more than mission 1 and 2. The maximum achievable score is 438 points with the maximum payload of 3.9kg. This clearly means that carrying the maximum payload will earn the team maximum points and can overcome the shortcomings in mission 1 and 2. This also means that the total maximum achievable score is 638 and appropriate weight and time targets will be selected keeping in mind the limitations and practicality of the team’s approach along with the scores of highest scoring teams in previous similar competitions. 3.6. Problem Statement In light of the mission requirements the team’s target was now set to design and develop a high performance, easy to manufacture and a cost effective UAV that can carry the maximum payload effectively and complete all three missions successfully satisfying all the other aircraft requirements. The minimum targeted score was set to 85% of the maximum achievable score. 3.7. Design Requirements The aircraft was designed keeping in mind the performance of the third mission as it comprised maximum marks and payload. If the aircraft is well designed for the third mission its performance for first and second mission will improve automatically. 3.7.1. Takeoff The aircraft is supposed to takeoff within 130 ft distance. All wheels should be off the runway before the max distance line. So the target of 100 ft was selected with a margin of 30 ft for any under or over estimation in design. 3.7.2. Payloads In order to obtain the maximum score as mentioned in problem statement, the aircraft has to carry the maximum payload combination of 3 balls having a total weight of 3.9 kg. The payloads have to be dropped during the flight at designated spots. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 11 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 3.7.3. Cruise Velocity In order to obtain good flight score, the performance of former UAVs in similar configuration were studied against their payload capabilities and it was decided that the UAV will be have a cruise velocity of 65 ft/s. A higher target was selected as the actual performance often varies with the theoretical calculations. Payload Capability vs Max Velocity 75 VELOCITY 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3 3.2 3.4 PAYLOAD 3.7.4. Weight Target A weight target was set keeping in mind the payload release and weight & balance issues along with the weights of former UAVs just like the cruise velocity selection. According to histoirical trends the best empty weight for a payload of 8.6 lb is 9.4 lb. However keeping in mind the 85% maximum score target and weight & balance issues, 12 lb target empty weight of the UAV was decided. WEIGHT Payload Capability vs Max Weight 8.5 8 7.5 7 6.5 6 5.5 5 4.5 4 10 12 14 16 18 PAYLOAD COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 12 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 3.7.5. Design Score In view of the above set design targets the expected score were calculated that the team is expected to obtain during each mission. Since the payloads will be mounted internally so it will not effect the cruise velocity to a great extent except the induced drag element due to higher lift. Also the same aircraft with same battery package will be used for all the three missions. The scores were calculated using the scoring formula provided in the RPF and the refrence weights and time were taken from previous competitions. Mission Flight Score Weight Score Mission Score 1 0.88 0.78 68.64 2 0.86 0.75 64.5 3 0.95 2.95 420.375 Total Score out of 638 553.515 3.8. Concept Collection In order to select a feasible and viable concept configuration, the first step is to make a population space of a good collection of applicable concepts and ideas so that the best option can be selected. In addition to conventional concepts, new innovative ideas are required to satisfy the stringent design requirements. Different ideas from various books, journals and online databanks were obtained and studied. All kinds of ideas were welcomed from all the members and finally a large pool of concepts was created. 3.8.1 Aircraft Configurations Different types of aircraft configurations being used in R/C flying and UAVs were studied. Each concept was analyzed for fly worthiness in the required design space. • Canards prevent aircraft stall to an extent but their controls are difficult to design and they present stability problems • Favourtie wings of earlier designs. They tend to give a good amount of lift but again the weight issues are a hinderance. • A great weight saver and low drag profile. The only problem remains is the controlability and stability issues. Canards Bi Plane Flying Wing COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 13 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 • This is the most simplest of all configurations. Suited for most of the roles in conventional spectrum. • Have a good lift to drag ratio but complicated manufacturing always is an issue in this configuration. • If designed carefully can prouduce a lot of lift but can be tricky due to weight penalties Conventional Blended Wings Tandem Wings 3.8.2. Wing Configuration A lot of wing designs were collected but only a few of them were shortlisted based upon the strength and lift requirements. Generally the UAVs are designed for long endurance flights however in this case the aircraft is supposed to carry out a low endurance mission • These wings are best suited for short takeoffs and high lift. However they are very stable and have pitch up tendency which are sometimes not desirable for pilot • Conventionally the most appropriate wing as it gives the highest velocity and has good lift and stability characteristics • Low wings have longer takeoff distances however they are quite maneuverable and have higher speeds as compared to high wings. High Wing Mid Wing Low Wing 3.8.3. Tail Configuration Tail design is very important for the stability of the aircraft. However, a stable tail design may incorporate controllability concerns and other issues like the weight penalties or the complexities of manufacturing. Tail design is also very much linked to the aesthetics of the aircraft which force designers to select a particular tail design. • Mostly used tail design becuase of its easy stability characteristics and design. • Act as a weight saver in some cases but the V Tail can sometimes be trickier to handle • As compared to the conventional tail the cruciform tail has lesser downwash effects. Conventional V-Tail Cruciform COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 14 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 • T Tail is best suited for avoiding downwash effects on the tail, however they are difficult to manufacture • A similiar design as the V Tail. However it has a slightly different behaviour but acts as a weight saver • To keep the vertical tails out of propwash the H tails are often used to give better controls T-Tail Inverted-V H-Tail 3.8.4. Motor Location The right motor location has an important impact on the aircraft performance and control behavior. The motor locations can be decided on the basis of accessibility and thrust requirements. Also increasing the number of motors always remains a valid option to increase the overall thrust of the aircraft. • The propeller gets cleaner air and gives more thrust. However the propwash affects the aircraft controls. • The pusher configuration is good for stability as it has no propwash effects however due to lesser clean air the thrust is affected. • A good choice when using multiple motors. Both the motors get clean air. However the calibration of these motors is a complicated job. Tractor Pusher Wing Mounted Motor 3.8.5. Landing Gears Type of landing gears is important for takeoff and landing characteristics. Landing gear bear the impact loads during the landing phase and give directional control during the takeoff phases when the prop wash is significant because of low speed high thrust conditions. They are also important drag adders. The use of adequately designed landing gears can give great comfort to the pilot. • A very stable configuration and good for pilot handling. However it is a bit draggy. • Good for short takeoffs as the aircraft is already at an incidence angle however the ground controls are tricky • Used for heavier configurations where landing gears have to sustain a heavy impact • A great weight saver configuration but very difficult to operate with. Generally used with HALE UAVs Tricycle Tail Dragger Tandem Single Main COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 15 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 3.9. Figures of Merit Certain major and minor factors that affect the decisions regarding the concept selection were analyzed and short listed based on the impact on design configuration. However, the primary targets remained the satisfaction of RFP requirements. (a) Weight is the most important factor in FOM as it affects all the other factors directly or indirectly. The decreased weight means better score, smaller engine, higher velocity, better controls and lesser cost. The weight also governs the wing loading which is the most important aerodynamic parameter. (b) Portability is one of the important constraints in the RPF as any design no matter how effective can be useless if it is not portable. Portability means that aircraft should be able to fit into the required box and can easily be disassembled for this purpose. (c) Manufacturing plays a decisive role in any decision because the UAV has to be manufactured by students themselves who had very little experience and expertise with model building. Hence, any complex manufacturing could be a very difficult task. (d) RFP Performance means that the UAV should be able to satisfy all design requirements set earlier. These include parameters like stall velocities, takeoff rolls and maneuverability of the UAV. (e) Stability and Controllability is a very factor which defines the control and handling of the UAV. No matter how capable the UAV may be if it’s difficult to fly then it can lead to crashes because of poor control and handling characteristics. Since the airfield analysis showed that airfield is not well suited for the model flying so this FOM is very important. (f) Velocity is the main scoring factor in the flight missions. The aircraft which will complete the mission in earliest possible time will be awarded the highest marks. So the design should be able to give good cruise speeds for a faster mission completion. (g) Aesthetics have no technical value but from the designers point of view it has its weightage. It’s a famous saying that “Anything that looks good, flies good.” 3.10. Concept Selection After studying and short listing different concepts along with the figures of merit the selection process started. Each FOM was given a certain percentage weightage. Every concept was given marks out of 10 against each FOM. Subsequently the marks percentage was multiplied by the weightage percentage. All the marks scored against each FOM were summed up and a total score out of 100 was obtained. The final score of each concept was compared with the other concepts and the best or highest scoring concept was selected for the UAV. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 16 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 RFP Performance Manufacturing 15% Aesthetics Velocity 5% 10% 20% Weight 20% Portability 20% Stability and Controlability 10% 3.10.1. Aircraft Configuration Conventional Bi Plane Tandem Wings Canard Blended Flying Wing Wing Velocity 10 8 6 5 7 6 6 Weight 20 7 6 5 7 5 8 10 8 7 6 7 7 4 Portability 20 7 8 7 7 5 6 Manufacturing 20 8 6 5 8 4 5 RFP Performance 15 7 8 6 7 8 7 Aesthetics 5 6 7 6 8 8 9 100 73.5 68.5 57 72.5 57 63 Stability and Controllability Total Portability and manufacturability proved to be the most decisive factor in overall configuration decision. Advanced concepts like blended wings and flying wings were good options for payload flights but their maneuverability and portability was not good. So conventional design and canard design were two main competitors but conventional design took the edge because of ease of controls and manufacturing. 3.10.2. Wing Configuration High Wing Mid Wing Low Wing Velocity 10 6 8 7 Weight 20 8 6 8 Stability and Controllability 10 8 7 5 Portability 20 7 6 7 Manufacturing 20 8 5 8 RFP Performance 15 8 8 6 Aesthetics 5 6 8 7 100 75 65 70.5 Total COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 17 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 The only clear solution was the high wing. As its takeoff performance and stability are good as compared to other options so it was an obvious decision. The mid wing could have been a good option but it faced a good set back from portability and manufacturing point of view. 3.10.3. Tail Configuration Conventional V Tail Inverted V H Tail T Tail Cruciform Velocity 10 7 8 7 6 7 7 Weight 20 7 8 8 6 5 6 10 8 7 7 8 8 7 Portability 20 7 8 6 5 6 6 Manufacturing 20 8 8 7 6 5 5 RFP Performance 15 8 7 7 8 7 7 Aesthetics 5 8 6 9 7 8 7 100 77.5 74 71 63.5 61.5 62 Stability and Controllability Total Conventional tail is the most successful configuration for use in tail designs. They are light weight and have very good stability and control characteristics. They are also very easy to design and manufacture as vast techniques are available because of their abundant usage. 3.10.4. Motor Location Tractor Pusher Wing Mounted Velocity 10 8 6 7 Weight 20 7 7 5 Stability and Controllability 10 7 8 4 Portability 20 8 7 5 Manufacturing 20 8 7 4 RFP Performance 15 8 8 6 Aesthetics 5 6 7 8 100 76 71.5 52 Total The motor location was selected as tractor configuration. Since the pusher motor has thrust losses due to unclean air. A clean air for higher thrust was required especially in the short takeoff mode for which the tractor position was an obvious choice. The twin motor or wing mounted motors were not a good option because of their complexities. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 18 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 3.10.5. Landing Gears Tricycle Tail Dragger Tandem Single Main Velocity 10 7 8 7 8 Weight 20 7 8 6 8 Stability and Controllability 10 8 6 5 5 Portability 20 7 8 5 7 Manufacturing 20 8 7 5 7 RFP Performance 15 8 7 7 8 Aesthetics 5 8 7 6 6 100 75 74 57.5 72 Total A tight competition existed between tricycle and tail dragger configurations. Even though tail draggers are difficult to control during landings and takeoffs but their portability and weight savings gave them an advantage. Here the aesthetics came in and the slight edge was given to the tricycle landing gears based on designer choice. 3.10.6. Payload Location The maximum payload will be three balls that will be dropped during the flight one by one. This creates a balance issue because when the payload will be dropped it will disturb the C.G of the aircraft and the pilot will have to trim the aircraft accordingly to adjust the balance of the aircraft. Therefore the decision of the payload locations and alignment was made by the pilot and it was decided that the payloads will be arranged along the longitudinal axis and will be mounted internally. 3.11. Final Concept As a result of decision matrices analyzed above the final configuration of the UAV was finalized. The conventional fuselage was modified by adding a tail boom due to portability issues. The final design consisted of; (a) Conventional Fuselage with Payload Storage (b) Two Piece High Wing Design (c) Boom mounted Conventional Tail (d) Tricycle Landing Gears (e) Tractor Motor Configuration COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 19 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 4. Preliminary Design After finalizing the configuration of the UAV, next step is the detailed sizing and aerodynamic analysis of the aircraft. At the end of this phase dimensions will be frozen. However, during this sizing phase, iterative schemes are followed to optimize the aircraft weight and size. The correct airfoil for UAV will be selected and analyzed along with determination of aircraft lift and drag characteristics. This data will determine the stability, structural loads and performance of UAV. Based on the results necessary changes will be incorporated and desired process will be iterated. For the preliminary analysis the design methodology of “Daniel P Raymer” was used. Starting with the design point which was evaluated on the basis of design specifications, initial weight estimation was performed. Depending upon the weight the geometry was finalized and then aerodynamic analysis of this geometry was carried out. Using the aerodynamic characteristics, the propulsion, structural loads and stability of UAV were calculated. Finally the performance was predicted and optimization was carried out. 4.1. Mission Profile A mission profile was chalked out on the basis of design specifications. This is the exact mission that the aircraft will fly on the final day. This mission profile served as a reference point for the further analysis and optimization process COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 20 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 4.2. Design Point Design point means selection of the Wing Loading and Thrust to Weight ratio of the UAV. The design point was calculated against the design specifications. Based on the all the mission segments and other performance, the design point that is most appropriate for our design was selected. For this purpose, wing loading and thrust to weight ratio for each requirement was calculated and then the smallest values of T/W and W/S were selected. It was noted that the stall speed proved to be the decisive factor in terms of wing loading and the takeoff helped decide the value of thrust to weight ratio. T/W 0.35 W/S 2.66 4.3. Weight Estimation For all the initial calculations a weight estimation of aircraft was required. After some basic home work it was found that weight target is previous sections was achievable so the total gross weight of the aircraft for each mission was as follows. Mission Weight 1 12 lb 2 14.9 lb 3 20..6 lb 4.4. Airfoil Selection Airfoil is no doubt heart of the aircraft. It’s just the magic of airfoil that makes dead weight reach the skies. Selecting the correct airfoil is a very complicated decision because of the impact it can have on the aircraft performance as well as weight and manufacturing process. An airfoil selection criterion was defined and based on that the best airfoil was picked. The three main criteria were; (a) Maximum Lift Coefficient: The CL max of an airfoil directly affects the stall and takeoff properties of the aircraft so high value of maximum CL max is desired. (b) Lift to Drag Ratio: Maximum lift to drag ratio can be termed as aerodynamic efficiency of the aircraft. Higher the value of L/D)max, the better performance is expected out of an aircraft (c) Maximum Thickness: The thickness doesn’t only define the stall behavior but also adds to the weight of the wings; hence reasonably thick airfoil had to be selected. Airfoil CL Max Best L/D Thickness COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 21 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 SD7062 1.59 50 14% MH113 2.14 60 14.7% MH114 1.98 45 13% Clark YM-18 1.70 46 18% Clark YM-15 1.59 52 15% GOE 611 1.84 44 14% 4.4.1 Airfoil Analysis Since the MH113 airfoil’s data was collected from internet sources, it was decided to analyze the airfoil using numerical and computational techniques. Initial testing was carried out utilizing “Design Foil” software that uses panel method (potential flow solver with viscosity) to evaluate the lift curve slope of the airfoil. Since the viscous effects could not be defined in the panel method accurately, validation of CL max of the airfoil was carried out by CFD analysis. A meshed grid was generated around a 2D airfoil in GAMBIT 2.4 software. The pressure inlet and outlet boundary conditions were given and the case file was exported to FLUENT 6.3. Here the airfoil was simulated at cruise speed of 15 m/s and sea level conditions. The drag polar from “Design Foil” and CFD contours from FLUENT along with aerodynamic characteristics of MH113 airfoil are given below: Max CL: 2.14 Max CL angle: 15.0 Max L/D: Max L/D angle: 60.475 4.5 Max L/D CL: 1.453 Stall angle: 17 Zero-lift angle: Thickness: -8.0 14.7% COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 22 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 4.5. Geometric Sizing Traditionally, aircraft geometric sizing is done based on statistical equations, analytical formulae and design heuristics, but the constraint of aircraft to be fitted in a predefined box took priority over all others. The payload capacity also dictated the wing size for adequate lift generation. A detailed dimensional drawing of the UAV can be seen in the drawing package in the detailed design segment. However the brief summary of the UAV sizing is as follows: 4.5.1 Fuselage The fuselage has to house the internal payloads along with wing attachments and propulsion package. So the sizing was done keeping in mind the payload and box constraints. The length of the aircraft could be maximized by using a tail boom as it will provide required moment arm to the tails. 4.5.2. Wings Based on the selected wing loading the reference area of the aircraft came out to be 7.8 ft2. The span was selected as 70 in for a two piece wing. In order to maximize area, chord length was increased, though it decreased aspect ratio which resulted in reduced lift but increased the stall angle which was desirable. No dihedral was given as wing was already of high wing configuration. Also the sweep angle was zero to increase the lift curve slope as stall will be delayed already by the lower aspect ratio. Similarly there was no tapering to avoid the manufacturing complexities. Aileron sizing was done with historical trends mentioned in Raymer’s Design Book 4.5.3. Tail Initially the tails were sized using the traditional tail coefficients but later during the stability module it was noted that due to downwash effects the tail size needed to be increased. Hence, the tail sizes along with the tail boom length were revised in order to increase the static margin. 4.6. Aerodynamic Analysis The complete aerodynamic characteristics of the UAV can be summed up to the drag polar evaluation. The lift producing capability along with the amount of drag penalty produced. Analytical methods purposed for such analysis were used to determine the lift curve slopes and maximum lift coefficient of the aircraft. Validation of the analytical results was performed by a CFD analysis of one configuration at one flight condition. This helped improve the parasite drag estimation of the aircraft as the flat plate skin friction analysis underestimate the aircraft drag. The analytical methods for drag estimation cannot be utilized with reasonable accuracy for actual model building. Hence, a CFD analysis of the aircraft geometry was carried out to determine the zero lift skin friction drag of the aircraft and validate/refine the analytical results. Fudge factors were added to the analytical results based on the CFD to make them close to real values. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 23 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 For CFD a tri mesh was structured using the GAMBIT software after which the case file was exported to FLUENT for analyses. Pressure based analysis were carried out by applying the pressure far field, pressure inlet and pressure outlet boundary conditions. Analysis was carried out at cruise conditions. 4.6.1 Lift Curve Slope The lift produced by the aircraft was determined by CFD at different angles of attack. Later the values were interpolated to obtain a straight line. The stall characteristics were estimated initially based on the airfoil values and later validated with CFD. CL Lift Curve Slope -20 -10 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 -0.5 0 -1 AOA 10 20 4.6.2. Total Drag The total drag force experienced by the UAV during sea level cruise is plotted below. This is also the minimum thrust required to keep the UAV airborne. It can be seen that design cruise point lies exactly on the L/D max velocity Drag (lb) 20 Drag 15 10 5 0 -5 20 45 70 95 120 Velocity COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 24 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 4.6.3. Drag Polar A drag polar is the essence of the complete aerodynamic analysis. It states the lift to drag relationship of an aircraft. The best L/D ratio can be predicted from drag polar which yields best performance parameters. The best L/D for this UAV is 10. UAVs generally have higher L/D ratios but they are optimized for endurance missions where as in this case, it is a maneuverable aircraft which will never fly endurance missions. The drag polar along with other aerodynamic parameters are; Drag Polar 2 CL 1.5 1 0.5 0 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 CD CLα 4.02 / rad CDo 0.047 CL max 1.58 L/D (Max Weight) 10 K 0.078 Typical Re No 4 Million e 0.91 4.7. Propulsion Analysis A propulsion system must be able to account for the worst case drag penalties and at times is also required to augment lift and handle weight component for better aircraft performance. All the performance considerations in the air machinery are governed by the propulsion system. The more powerful the propulsion system is the more easily the aircraft will be able to perform different mission segments and achieve high velocities with higher accelerations. Installed motor performance is always different from uninstalled motor performance due to the losses, additional drags and interference effects. The AXI-4130/20 brushless motor was selected due to its appropriate RPM/Volt capability and good internal resistance. The motors with a smaller RPM/V required bigger propellers and were heavier where as the motors with larger RPM/V were not able to rotate large props. Motor AXI-4130 AXI-5320 AXI-4120 RPM/V 305 206 512 Resistance(m ohm) 0.99 0.84 0.7 Efficiency(%) 88 93 86 Weight(g) 409 495 320 COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 25 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 The next step was to analyze different propellers and battery combinations to get the required thrust using the minimum weight penalty. LiPo batteries were allowed in the contest so they were an obvious choice over the Ni-Cad batteries due to their better efficiency. Propellers of different diameters were selected and analyzed for required thrust within the allowable current limit. Thus using the 6 cell 22.2 V LiPo battery and a 15 in diameter propeller the required thrust was achievable. The analysis for the mentioned setup using the Blade Element Momentum theory is; Velocity(m/s) Current(A) RPM Power(W) Thrust(lb) 0 30 6500 361 7.43 5 27.9 6577 340 6.06 10 25 6685 310 4.66 15 21.5 6830 268 3.35 20 17 7015 211 2.19 25 11.3 7238 137 1.2 4.8. Structural Loads Before the actual structural members can be sized and analyzed, the loads applied during flight must be determined. Aircraft’s loads estimation is a separate discipline of aerospace engineering. It combines aerodynamics, structures, and weights categories for loads estimation. Loads on aircraft can be of different categories like tensile, compressive, bending and torsional. As different types of aerodynamic and inertial loads are applied at different parts of the aircraft during flight, different parts are designed structurally to withhold these loads. Maneuver load is the load generated when an aircraft performs high g maneuvers. Maneuver loads are generally the highest loads sustained by the aircraft structure. This largest load which aircraft experience is called the “Limit” or “Applied” load. Aircraft loading is expressed in terms of load factor ‘n’. The aircraft structure is designed to have the limit structural strength of more than the limit loads. The V-n diagram depicts the aircraft limit load factor as a function of the air speed. The aircraft COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 26 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 can be stalled at a higher speed by trying to exceed the available load factor, such as in a steep turn. The aircraft maximum speed, or dive speed, at the right of V-n diagram represents the maximum dynamic pressure q limit. The point representing maximum q and maximum load factor is clearly important for structural sizing. At this condition, the aircraft is fairly at a low AOA because of high q, so the load is approximately vertical in the body axis. Category Type Load Lift Distributed 80 lb Thrust Point 25 lb Landing Impact 75 lb Tail Distributed 25 lb Payloads Distributed 8 lb 4.9. Stability Analysis The basic concept of stability is simply that a stable aircraft, when disturbed, tends to return by itself to its original state (pitch, yaw, roll, velocity etc). But Stability and Control are opposite to each other, so the best combination is a good tradeoff between stability and controllability. Static stability is present if the forces created by the disturbed state push in the correct direction to return the aircraft to its original state. The requirement for good stability, control and handling quantities are addressed through the use of tail volume coefficient method and through location of aircraft centre of gravity at some percent of wing mean aerodynamic chord. The static stability of aircraft has been computed for longitudinal, lateral and directional axes. The main equations governing these stability factors are; Tail Airfoil NACA 0010 Cl α Horizontal Tail 0.06 / deg Aspect Ratio Horizontal Tail 2.66 Aspect Ratio Vertical Tail 1.32 C.G Location At Aerodynamic Centre Cm α -0.012 / deg Cn β 0.055 / deg Cl β -0.018 / deg Static Margin 0.23 COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 27 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 4.10. Aircraft Performance After sorting out the weight estimations, lift, drag and propulsion characteristics of the UAV, aircraft performance was evaluated. Standard analytical methods were used to evaluate different performance parameters. These performance results are based on the estimated weights. 4.10.1. Rate of Climb excess power that an aircraft has along with defining the flight envelope and parameters like maximum and minimum velocities. The following graph was obtained for ROC in ft/sec with maximum payload. ROC Rate of climb of an aircraft is the measure of specific 5 4 3 2 1 0 0 20 40 Velocity 60 80 4.10.2. Turn Rate UAV has to perform certain maneuvers in each lap of the mission. In order to achieve these mission requirements, a good turning performance is mandatory. Also due to small drop zone the UAV will have to make tight turns. The instantaneous turn rate along with the sustain turn rate was plotted as shown. 4.10.3. Takeoff and Landing The aircraft when loaded with full payloads will be able to takeoff within the 117 ft distance and land within 200 ft distance without brakes Mission Takeoff Roll (ft) 1 55 2 80 3 117 4.10.4. Mission Performance The performance of the UAV predicted during each mission is documented below. Mission 1 has no payload but 2 laps where as the distance for mission 2 are shortest. Mission Aircraft Weight (kg) Maximum Cruise Speed (ft/s) Stall Velocity (ft/s) 1 5.5 74 28 2 6.8 69 32 3 9.4 65 37 COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 28 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 5. Detail Design After the preliminary design is completed, the detail design phase was started. All systems and components were designed, selected and integrated. The aircraft structural analyses were done on critical areas and a complete aircraft sizing was carried out in Solid Edge V19 CAD software. Weight and balance for both external and internal payloads was carried out. Finally, flight and mission performance parameters were calculated, along with the Rated Aircraft Cost of the whole UAV package. 5.1. Dimensional Characteristics The dimension of main aircraft parts are documented below. The following dimensions were finalized after integration test and were then strictly implemented during the manufacturing phase. Fuselage Horizontal Tail Length 36 in Span 32 in Width 6.5 in Area 2.66 ft2 Height 7.5 in Chord 12 in Aspect Ratio 2.66 Tail Boom Length 29 in Elevator Chord 2.5 in Width 1 in Elevator Deflection 30 deg Incidence Angle 0 Wing 2 Vertical Tail Area 7.8 ft Span 70 in Span 15.6 in Chord 16 in Area 1.33 ft2 Aspect Ratio 4.35 Sweep Angle 36 deg Aileron Length 24 in Rudder Chord 2.5 in Aileron Chord 3 in Dihedral 0 Rudder Deflection 30 deg Main Landing Gears Sweep Angle 0 Height 8 in Width 16 in Tire Diameter 3 in Box Length 40 in Width 24 in Height 24 in Weight Nose Gear Height 8 in Tire Diameter 3 in Steering Angle 45 deg Airframe 4 kg Payloads 3.9 kg Propulsion 1.1 kg Diameter 15 in Avionics 0.4 kg Pitch 10 in Total Maximum 9.4 kg Propeller COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 29 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 5.2. Structural Systems and Capabilities All the structural designing and material selection was done keeping in mind the FOMs. The structure was designed keeping in mind the assembling ease and portability. 5.2.1 Fuselage Designing the fuselage was the most complicated job as it had to house the propulsion system, control avionics, batteries and the most important “payloads”. The final product was a carbon fiber fuselage. The section strength was provided by the plywood bulkhead and pink foam partitions for the fuselage. The critical areas like wing attachment and landing gears were reinforced with extra layers of composite and plywood for stiffness. A styro-foam piece was added at the tail attachment to give additional grip to the tail boom. Lower portion of the fuselage comprised compartment doors for payloads. The plywood section consists of four parts. First one is the motor firewall that is made of double plywood and will work as motor and nose gear attachment. The second section is the front bulk head that will restraint the batteries and nose gear servo. The third is the rear bulk head that was the tail boom attachment followed by a small firewall that will restraint the boom moment. In-between the bulkheads pink foam was placed that will not only restraint the payloads but also provide sectional strength to the fuselage. The wings were attached in the dowel holes from front and screws from rear. The main landing gear was attached near the rear bulkhead. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 30 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 5.2.2. Wings Wings are the main load bearing members. They were strengthened by carbon fiber spars that will bear the main bending aerodynamic loads. The rest of the wing is made up of Styrofoam sheeted with 1/32” balsa sheet. The leading edge and trailing edge is also made up of balsa. Wing has been covered with monokot sheet for smooth surface finish. Wings also house servos for aileron controls. The ailerons were made up balsa reinforced with fiber glass near the control horns. The wing attachments are two wooden dowels in the front and screws at the back. The two piece wing is joined using the hardwood joiner that also works as reinforcement to carbon fiber spars. Since wing spar was the main load bearing member that will bear all the extreme loads, its analysis was done in ANSYS 12 in which the carbon fiber spar was given distributed elliptical loads at 4g conditions and the bending behavior was studied. The critical areas were near the roots which were reinforced with the hardwood joiner. The limited deflection was also restricted with the fiber glass layup on roots and tips. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 31 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 5.2.3. Tail Assembly The conventional tail was made using the pink foam wings mounted on the aluminum boom. The horizontal and vertical tails were made of pink foam with the density of 33 kg/m3. The trailing edge was made of balsa along with the rudder and elevator. The tails were reinforced with carbon fiber spars. The tails were joined to the boom using bolts. Similar bolts were also used to restrain the boom moment from fuselage-boom attachment. The aluminum boom was analyzed in ANSYS and again it was found weak to sustain maximum loads so it was also reinforced with wood near the boom attachment. This also gave strength for impact loads that are quite common in RC flying 5.2.4. Landing Gears Carbon Fiber main landing gear was taken off the shelf with about 8 in height. The tires were also taken off the shelf to maintain the required clearance and get a softer impact on landings. The mild steel nose gear was also taken off the shelf. The Landing gear analysis were also carried out for impact loads in ANSYS 12. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 32 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 5.2.5. Aircraft Box Aircraft Box was made up of fiber glass reinforced with wooden rods. The size of the box was minimized to avoid the weight penalty. The weight of the box is about 4 kg. Aircraft disassembles to fit into the box. The two piece wing detaches along with the tail assembly. The fuselage remains intact to save the 5 min assembling time limit. The box house the whole package including the whole aircraft, radio transmitter and small tools required for assembling of the aircraft. 5.3. Systems and Sub Systems The aircraft airframe was integrated with propulsion system that comprised of electric motor, batteries and speed controller. Also the control system consisted of servos, receiver and battery. The payload release system was also designed so that payloads can be dropped during the flight. 5.3.1. Propulsion System The propulsion system was selected on the basis of results in the preliminary design. The equipment was chosen on the basis of weight and quality. The electric motor was mounted on the front firewall where as the battery and electric speed controller was placed just behind the firewall in the fuselage. The fuse was mounted on the fuselage behind the motor. Motor AXI-4130/20 Brushless Motor ESC Castle Creations Phoenix ICE 60 Battery Thunder Tiger 6 cell 22.2V 20C Lithium Polymer Battery Propeller 15 x 10 APC E Fuse 40 Amp Blade Style Fuse 5.3.2. Control System Conventional control mechanisms were adopted because of their reliability observed during the aero modeling activities. The selection of servos was based on the loads and weight. For this purpose standard servos were installed on the wings for aileron controls. The mini ball bearing servos were installed on the tail surfaces. The metal gear mini servos were installed for the payload release system. The transmitter selected was a 9 channel radio which supported different kind of control mixes and flight conditions that were used for payload release. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 33 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 Transmitter Hi-Tech Aurora 9 Receiver Hi-Tech Optima 9 Battery Chameleon 2100mah 4.8V Battery 3 x HS-325HB Standard Servo Servos 2 x HS-225BB Ball Bearing Mini Servo 3 x HS-225MG Metal Gear Mini Servo Apart from standard controls certain control mixing was done for better flight characteristics and balance during payload release. Control Mix Description Flaperons To decrease the takeoff roll during third mission Nose Gear + Rudder For conventional ground steering Flight Condition 1 Elevator normal for no/full payload flight Flight Condition 2 Elevator up and front payload released Flight Condition 3 Elevator normal and rear payload release Flight Condition 4 Elevator normal and center payload release 5.3.3. Payload Release System A very simple payload release system was developed. The payload compartment door was restricted by the servo heads as shown in the picture below. The servo was given 90 deg rotations upon which the doors are unlocked and the ball falls out due to gravitational force. After the release the door closes with the assistance of air flow and attached spring mechanism. The assembly is same for all compartments. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 34 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 5.4. Weight and Balance It is very important to determine the weight and center of gravity of the aircraft. These calculations can refine the stability and performance parameters. For this purpose the Solid Edge V19 CAD software was used to estimate the overall weight along with the CG position. The densities of every component was measured manually and then inserted in Solid Edge PP module. 5.4.1. Center of Gravity As shown below the green dot indicates the CG of the aircraft which is almost near to the quarter chord. The payloads are placed at the CG positions so there is apparently no change in the CG of the aircraft because this was an intentional design feature. From the above snap shots from CAD it could be seen that aircraft when fully loaded will have its C.G exactly on the quarter chord of the wing that is the design C.G point. When the front payload is released the C.G shift about 2.5 inch rearwards which remain within the static margin and the aircraft is stabilized by trimming the elevator. After the rear payload is released the C.G return to the original position. However when unloaded the C.G is negligibly ahead of the designed C.G which is adjusted before the flight by readjusting the RX battery. The following data was obtained from the CAD software. Mass Moment of Inertia Ixx 0.424417 kg-m^2 Iyy 0.760202 kg-m^2 Izz 1.105789 kg-m^2 Ixy -1.105789 kg-m^2 Ixz 0.051613 kg-m^2 Iyz -0.000922 kg-m^2 COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 35 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 5.4.2. Detailed Weight Estimation This is a very important aspect of aircraft design. We have to get exact weight estimations for determining the performance of our system. Also this weight is used to get the cost estimate of the aircraft. 5.4.2.1. Aircraft Empty Weight Wings 1500 Wing Joiner 100 Fuselage 1200 Main Gear 150 Nose Gear 50 Boom 210 Tail Assembly 360 Motor 400 Propeller 100 Battery 600 Servos (8) 310 RX Battery 100 Control Attachments 100 Epoxies and Attachments 400 ESC 110 Total 5690 g 5.4.2.2. Package Weight Airframe 4070 Propulsion & Avionics 1620 Transmitter 1100 Box 4400 Tools 300 Total 11490 g Tools 3% Airframe 35% Box 38% Propulsion 14% Transmitter 10% COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 36 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 5.5. Final Aircraft and Mission Performance Mission 1 L/D 2 3 10 Weight (lb) 12.34 15.2 20.94 Payload (lb) 0 2.86 8.58 T/W 0.6 0.49 0.35 W/S (lb/ft2) 1.58 1.95 2.68 Takeoff Distance (ft) 47 68 114 Maximum Cruise Speed (ft/s) 70 68 65 Stall Speed (ft/s) 28.5 31.8 37.4 Rate of Climb (ft/s) 6.4 5.5 3.6 Loading Time (s) 0 15 45 Assembling Time (s) 4 4 4 150 60 80 Mission Time (s) 5.6. Drawing Package The drawing package extracted from CAD consists of following parts; (a) 3 View Drawing (b) Structural Component Layout (c) Propulsion and Avionics System Integration (d) Payload Release System (e) Compact Package Drawing COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 37 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 38 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 39 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 40 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 41 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 42 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 6. Manufacturing Plan After all the designing comes the actual fabrication. Manufacturing was carried out in the AE Design Lab of CAE and Aero modeling Club at PAF Academy Risalpur. All the fabrication was done by the students with cooperation of different departments and labs located within the premises of CAE. Manufacturing is a very important phase as it requires a lot of planning because any kind of error can now cost time and money. Also wrong techniques can result in weight penalty and compatibility issues. Certain decision were made on the following figures of merit. 6.1. Figures of Merit Strength 20% Ease of Availablity 15% Cost 10% (a) Ease of Manufacturing 35% Weight Penalty 20% Ease of Manufacturing is an important factor as the team members are building a UAV for first time so a complicated process can give a lot of issues so this was given higher priority so that UAV can be manufactured easily and accurately (b) Cost is also very important factor as the funds available are limited and the aircraft cost have to be kept below the prescribed limit. (c) Weight Penalty can lead to a lot of problems specially the mission performance so any technique that has drastic effect on weight will not be considered (d) Ease of Availability is a practical issue that can cause unnecessary time delays because our institution is far away from main cities so this factor was always kept in mind (e) Structural Strength is very important for any aircraft to get airborne. The manufacturing strategy should ensure adequate strength for the UAV Based on the weightage given to each FOM the manufacturing technique and the material were selected by weighting each concept against all the FOM in a decision matrix. Following is the description of the manufacturing process of the UAV. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 43 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 6.2. Fuselage For the manufacturing of the fuselage certain techniques were discussed and analyzed. These techniques were seen in the list of FOMs discussed earlier. Technique Male Mould/Glass Fiber Female Mould/ Carbon Fiber Plywood/Balsa Composite Reinforced Wood Ease of Manufacturing Weight Cost Ease of Availability Strength Total 7 6 7 8 7 69.5 7 8 5 7 8 72 6 5 7 8 6 62 5 7 6 5 7 59 Making a fiber glass fuselage from foam male mould was easiest but the weight control over epoxy was difficult and more glass layers were required for strength. The traditional balsa and plywood fuselage used in RC models was also considered but again the weight penalty was the hurdle. Reinforcing the same wooden fuselage with composites was considered but it was a very complicated technique. Thus it was decided to use carbon fiber for fuselage. First of all the construction of mould started. For this purpose the styrofoam was cut into the desired shape of the fuselage. After that it was layered with fiber glass layers for adequate strength. The foam was dissolved and the fuselage was cut into two upper and lower halves. Then the wooden reinforcements were attached for strength and resist deformation of the fuselage shape. For finish of the mould first it was finished with sand paper and then the gaps were covered with appropriate filler. Subsequently the primer and gel coat were applied for the finish and the mold was ready. The vacuuming bagging bag was formed and attached to the mould. 2 The carbon fiber cloth of 250 g/m density was applied then to the mould with LY-556 epoxy hardened with HY-951 hardener. The vacuum bagging was done to extract any unwanted and extra epoxy. The composite was cured at 60C temperature for best strength. After 24 hrs the upper and lower parts of the fuselage were obtained. The plywood reinforcements were inserted and then the upper and lower fuselage was joined by the fiber glass patch. The finally the access panels and COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 44 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 payload door were cut out and the fuselage was finished with grinder and sand paper before applying the monocot for smooth surface. 6.3. Wings Wings were supposed to be the most accurate and rugged part of the UAV as they have to generate all the lift and then sustain these lift loads effectively. Foam core wings with aluminum spars were selected as they were very easy to manufacture accurately Technique Manufacturing Weight Cost Availability Strength Total Balsa Sheeted Foam 8 8 8 8 7 64 Reinforced Pink Foam 7 5 5 6 8 48.5 Wooden Buildup 6 7 7 8 7 54 The Styrofoam was hot wire cut by the help of airfoil templates that were made by drawings from plotter. Then the carbon fiber spar was inserted and joined with epoxy glue. After that the foam was fined with sand papers and balsa sheet of 1/32” were sheeted on the foam with the help of lattice glue. Solid balsa leading edge was glued with epoxy glue and then shaped by using the planar. Similarly the balsa trailing edge was also attached. The lighting holes were made by removing the unwanted foam and then the wing was reinforced with glass fiber cloth of 6K 330g/m2 density. The wings were then again fined and covered with monokot sheets. Finally the balsa ailerons were attached with the help of plastic pin hinges to the trailing edge. The cylindrical joiner for the wings was made with the help of lathe machine. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 45 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 6.4. Tails Some extra weight saving effort was required in the case of tails as they are located at a considerable moment arm so any weight penalty can cause C.G balance problems. The following techniques were considered; Foam Core Ease of Manufacturing 7 Weight Penalty 6 Pink Foam Balsa Build Up 8 6 8 7 Technique 7 Ease of Availability 8 6 8 7 8 Cost Strength Total 8 71.5 7 8 74.5 71 The pink foam tails were cut using the hot wire apparatus. The tail wings were then reinforced with the carbon fiber rods of 4mm. The rods were glued into the slots created in the tails with hot wire which were later covered with a foam piece. The tails were then fined using the sand paper and finally a fiber glass patch was added to the roots for additional strength especially for the attachments. Elevator and rudders were made with solid balsa with the help of a planar. Aluminum boom was purchased off the shelf and modified as per requirements. 6.5. Manufacturing Timeline The manufacturing plan was made to ensure in time fabrication of the UAV. The days were allotted keeping in mind the military training commitments of the students. The black lines shows the actual progress against the planned one. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 46 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 7. Testing Plan After the manufacturing was complete the ground testing of the aircraft structure was carried out and then subsequently the test flights were started. These tests were designed to find out any possible short coming in the design so that it can be rectified before the actual contest. 7.1. Ground Testing Plan The following ground tests are planned to check the strength and integrity of the aircraft structure and avionics system. The propulsion system will also be tested accordingly. Wing Strength Test Landing Gears Test Point loads equivalent to the flight loads will be placed on the wings and the strength of the wing for 4g loads will be tested. The impact loads will be simulated on the landing gear by throwing the aircraft from 3 ft height. Motor Power Test Motor thrust will be measured to verify it with the theoretical results Motor Current Test The current drawn by the motor will be measured Payload Release The payload release mechanism will be tested and improved CG Test Avionics System Radio Range Test Tail Boom Test The CG of the fully loaded and unloaded aircraft will be checked and will be corrected if deviated from theoretical value The radio programming will be checked and it will be ensured that all the controls are working the way they should Radio will be tested for range by moving the transmitter away from the aircraft and also the Fail Safe mode will be checked The strength of the tail boom will be tested by applying the impact and flight loads and also checking the strength of the tail boom attachment. 7.2. Check List The following checklist will be used for every flight test as well as at the competition. Check C.G at design location Check all controls move in correct directions Check wing attachment integrity Check tail boom attachment integrity Check tail attachment integrity Check propeller integrity Check battery voltage Check RX/TX battery voltage Check aileron throws Check elevator throws Check Rudder Throw Check payload doors closed Check batteries are secured Check nose gear steering Check flight conditions preset mode Check fail safe settings Check motor for full power Check fuse installed properly Radio Range Check Check Transmitter Antenna COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 47 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 7.3. Flight Testing Plan The following flight testing plan will be carried out before proceeding to the competition. A total of 15 flights are planned as part of testing. More flights can be carried out in case of improvements are needed or more practice is required. Flight Payload 1st Nil 2nd Nil 3rd 4th Nil Nil 5th 1 Ball 6th 1 Ball 7th 8th 1 Ball 1 Ball 9th 3 Balls 10th 3 Balls 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 3 Balls 3 Balls Nil 1 Ball 3 Balls Observations High Speed Taxi Takeoff Attitude Stability Behavior Glide Behavior Landing Speed Takeoff Distance Maneuvering Capability Maximum Speed Stall Speed Landing Roll Distance 2 Lap Flight Time Battery Endurance Takeoff Distance Maximum Velocity Stability Behavior 1 Lap Flight Time Glide Performance Stall Behavior Landing Distance 1 Lap Flight Time In Flight Payload Drop Takeoff Distance Maximum Velocity Stability Behavior 1 Lap Flight Time Glide Performance Stall Behavior Landing Distance 1 Lap Flight Time In Flight Payload Drop First Mission Rehearsal Second Mission Rehearsal Third Mission Rehearsal COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 48 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 8. Performance Results 8.1. Ground Testing Results The testing plan decided earlier was implemented to check the performance and other parameter of design. 8.1.1. Wing Strength Test The equivalent flight loads were applied on the wing to check the strength. The distributed loads of 10kg, 20 kg, 30 kg and 40 kg were applied for 1-4 g load conditions. There was very less deflection noted that too because of styrofoam compression at the tips. 8.1.2. Landing Gear Test The landing gears were initially tested by throwing the aircraft from 3 ft height and then they were subjected to 80 lb equivalent impact load in the impact testing machine. The carbon fiber landing gear cleared all the test will maximum 0.3 inch deflection. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 49 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 8.1.3. Motor Power and Current Test The motor was placed in the CAE Wind Tunnel and the thrust was measured with the help of spring balance attached to the motor. The Castle creation data logging software was used to measure the current and the thrust, power and current plots were obtained for the 15x10 APC E Prop. Velocity Forces (lbs) Moments (lbs) RPM Power Current THRUST mph LF DF SF PM YM RM % Watts Amps lbf 0 0 -0.78 -0.07 -0.02 0.08 -0.03 25 31 1.55 -0.52501 0 -0.1 -1.93 -0.11 -0.15 0.07 -0.26 50 101 5.04 2.011213 0 -0.2 -3.74 -0.11 -0.46 0.03 -0.37 75 208 13.35 5.776199 0 -0.3 -5.55 -0.13 -0.722 0.01 -0.47 100 497 25 9.189735 13.6 -0.1 -0.51 -0.12 0.14 0.06 -0.11 25 35 1.72 -0.87325 13.6 -0.2 -1.58 -0.11 0 0.06 -0.17 50 106 5.28 1.498258 13.6 -0.2 -3.38 -0.12 -0.29 0.03 -0.35 75 274 13.76 4.793674 13.6 -0.3 -5.08 -0.15 -0.59 0 -0.55 100 498 25.16 8.357225 27.3 -0.2 -0.18 0.03 0.24 0.06 -0.13 25 26 1.32 -2.22724 27.3 -0.1 -0.76 0.06 0.09 0.06 -0.28 50 81 4.06 -0.37626 27.3 -0.1 -2.82 0.03 -0.25 0.02 -0.48 75 287 15.05 5.06324 27.3 -0.2 -4.18 0.01 -0.5 -0.01 -0.52 100 486 24.7 6.676444 54.5 -0.1 0.42 -0.08 0.12 0.06 -0.14 25 18 0.9 -3.67524 54.5 -0.1 0.26 0.04 0.14 0.07 -0.03 50 41 2.08 -3.32272 54.5 -0.1 -0.15 0.03 0.01 0.05 -0.31 75 90 4.52 -2.65392 54.5 -0.1 -1.77 0.08 -0.13 0.03 -0.51 100 346 17.34 2.716378 8.1.4. Payload Release and C.G The integrity of payloads and C.G shift was measured. After the front ball is dropped there is a C.G shift of about 2 in. The releasing mechanism was tested and as a result the servo heads of the servos were adjusted and payload doors were redesigned. The payload moment during the flight was restricted by adding more foam in the fuselage. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 50 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 8.1.5. Tail Boom The tail boom is subjected to air as well as impact loads. The calculated equivalent loads were applied to the tail boom. The impact testing of the boom failed so the hard wood reinforcement was added to the boom. 8.1.6. Radio and Control Test All the control links were checked for integrity and the radio programming was carried out. All the four flight conditions were set and checked on the ground. The aileron throws were adjusted by varying the clevis positions. Similar adjustment was made to elevator and rudder. The battery link and radio range was tested and found to be about 2 km. The endurance of RX batteries was also tested and found to be 45 min of flight time. 8.2. Flight Testing Performance As per the time line the flight testing will start in the start of April, so the actual performance of the aircraft couldn’t be documented in the design report. Eagle Tree telemetry system will be used to check the flight parameters of the UAV. The flight testing will be carried out as per the tesing plan in earlier section. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 51 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 9. Conclusion The design and development of BURAQ UAV was a very unique experience for the students where lot was learned and is a project for the future. The future of Aerospace Industry does not belong to manned aircraft, but flying robots of all sizes and ranges to fulfill the entire range of future missions. FFD is a very positive initiative to encourage young students to focus on the design and development of UAV. The way the UAVs are progressing, it is not far off that designers will be producing UAV not only to suffice their defense industry needs, but to meet all the requirements of Private Sector Organizations. Media soon would have their UAV and so will the courier services. These UAV have the advantage of penetrating into dirty, dull and dangerous environments in the current arena of terrorism. The fabrication of BURAQ is almost complete and the UAV has been designed to meet all the competition requirements. This is just the first step, may be in the next step, similar efforts can be extrapolated to include semi-autonomous and autonomous UAVs. Another lesson learnt was lot of stuff which is studied in analytical equations and formulations, does not apply to ground realities. Practical experiences learnt during the development of BURAQ will be very useful for all such future endeavors. The design work of BURAQ is fully complete and so is the manufacturing. The testing is currently being performed on the ground as the report is being submitted. This would be followed by flight testing and improvements needed if any. BURAQ team is very motivated and excited to have a good showing at the contest and bring laurels to the PAF Academy, Risalpur. COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 52 PAFA BURAQ FUTURE FLIGHT DESIGN 2011 9.1. References Reports and Books (a) Aircraft Design; A Conceptual Approach by Raymer (b) Aircraft Performance and Design by John D Anderson (c) Design Report TuAFA “Cheveri” DBF 2010 (d) Design Report CAE “Zafir-II” DBFC 2008 Software (a) Solid Edge V19 (b) Gambit 2.4 (c) Fluent 6.3 (d) ANSYS 12 (e) MS Excel (f) Design Foil V6 Websites (a) www.worldofkrauss.com (b) www.rcpak.com (c) www.castlecreations.com (d) www.hitecrcd.com (e) www.javaprop.com COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY 53