Solar UAV : design and fabrication of structural test rig for loading and testing a 7.5m half wing

• Main Author: Chua, Zac Zheng Xun.
• Other Authors: Sunil Chandrakant Joshi
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Aeronautical engineering::Aircraft
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/54145
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The Solar UAV is a multi-functional aerial vehicle that can be used in many applications. The objective of the project was to design and manufacture a Solar UAV with wingspan of 17.5m, take-off weight of 60kg and having an endurance of 24 hours. To achieve this feat, a lightweight design of the aircraft and careful selection of parts and materials was required. This resulted in a balance between the strength of the aircraft structure and the total weight of the aircraft. The project began with discussions with the professors and team members to finalise on the external configuration and mission requirements of the UAV. Once the configuration was set, the Solar UAV members were assigned to 5 different teams, namely, Aerodynamics, Structures, Propulsion, Flight Control and Solar Energy, where they focused on their respective aspects of the aircraft design. At the same time, the 5 teams had to work together, updating each other with their findings, optimizing the UAV design, working towards the realization of the first prototype. The structures team had explored different sizing and configurations of the interior structure of the aircraft. Using FEA analysis, material testing, and testing of the physical parts, optimal design of the interior structure was selected. A test rig was designed and manufactured to provide a mounting structure for the test specimen for test loadings. A test specimen was also fabricated to test the effectiveness of the test rig as well as to verify the test methodology. Loadings similar to the aerodynamics forces were then applied to test specimen. Measurements such as deflection and strain values were obtained from the loading tests. These results were compared to the theoretical values obtained from Euler-Bernoulli Beam Theory calculations and FEA analysis, concluding the effectiveness and accuracy of the test rig and test methodology.