Design and development of composite structure for a micro-UAV

• Main Author: Loke, Jun Jie.
• Other Authors: Sunil Chandrakant Joshi
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/49719
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This report describes the design process and fabrication of a composite fuselage for a 2kg class micro-UAV which is propelled by flapping wings. It begins with the comparison and selection of fabrication process. The carbon fibre reinforced plastic was selected for its low specific gravity, high stiffness and high fatigue resistance and the fuselage structure would be fabricated from prepregs using the vacuum bag and autoclave method. Features of existing UAVs are determined and the relevant features such as the modularised design are explained. Following, the expected loads for the 2kg micro-UAV are determined to be 62.44N during flight and 392.4N at the point of landing. These loads form part of the design requirements.The initial design concept (Design 1) involves a simple structure to house the flapping wings and the required payload. A prototype was fabricated for testing so as to set a benchmark for improvements in further designs. Simulation techniques were introduced to analyse the designs. After several design evolutions, the final design (Design 2) boasts improvements such as a mass reduction of 23.2%, better stress distribution, an increased payload volume of 230cm3 and better accessibility by adopting the modularised design.