Flying Wing UAV for Surveillance and Object Tracking

Author

KRISTEN PADGETTFollow
Scott SemmelinkFollow
Jared LasleyFollow
Paul HorneFollow

Date of Submission

Spring 5-13-2021

Project Type

Senior Design

Minor

Aerospace Engineering

Major

Systems and Industrial Enigneering

Department

ISYE

Committee Chair/First Advisor

Adeel Khalid

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have become ubiquitous in recent years due to their adaptability and ease of use. Surveillance UAVs in particular have seen increased interest and usage by law enforcement, civilian security, surveying, and federal services. The increased interest has led to the development of UAVs with increased endurance and payload capacity. Further as many of the applications of surveillance drones involve heightened security requirements, an aircraft of domestic make is preferential to many organizations. With this demand in mind, Inspired Products, LLC put forth a request for assistance in the design and testing of a surveillance UAV. More specifically, Inspired Products, LLC has mandated that the UAV be of a flying wing configuration in order to increase endurance. This flying wing UAV must be able to remain aloft for extended periods while also possessing a payload capacity which is sufficient to carry cameras and other sensory equipment. Additionally, the UAV must possess removable wings which remain within a given span as set forth in the requirements given below (Section 3.1: Requirements). The development of the Flying Wing UAV was an iterative process in which various areas were considered and analyzed. The Flying Wing UAV’s fuselage is 3D-printed to allow for rapid prototyping and reconfiguration to allow for testing of different payload configurations in short order. The wings and winglets are constructed of high-density foam to preserve weight and provide sufficient durability (Figure 72). Initial airfoil testing was performed utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) initially in the xflr5 software (Chapter 4: Airfoil Selection) and then further analyzed in Solidworks (Chapter 5: Airfoil Analysis). After analysis, the Eppler 344 was selected as the root airfoil and the Eppler 325 as the tip airfoil. The winglets are a GOE 330 airfoil. Analysis of the final model was performed utilizing CFD in solid works (Chapter 8: Final Aircraft design) and it was found to be sufficient to satisfy the requirements. Confirmation of the CFD results were obtained via the testing of a scale model in the Kennesaw State University sub-sonic wind tunnel (Chapter 10: Wind Tunnel Testing). The results of these test confirmed those obtained through CFD. Other aspects were also considered in the course of the project such as budgetary considerations and avionics selection. The total calculated cost of the aircraft comes out to $978.69 for the materials and components required (Section 3.6: Budget). The cost of fabricating the aircraft was generously covered by our company sponsor. The avionics for the UAV selected were selected primarily by the sponsor. The UAV will utilize a receiver and transmitter with built in telemetry to provide guidance. Additionally, the aircraft utilizes two 10,000 mAh batteries and retractable propellors to allow for belly landings (Section 9.2: Avionics Selection). The development of this Flying Wing UAV will provide organizations around the nation with a UAV platform that improves upon current offerings via incrementally iteration in both endurance and payload capacity. This has been achieved through the use of the theoretical and practical skills we have gained as Aerospace Engineering students at Kennesaw State University, whether it be through hand calculations, use of computational fluid dynamics capable software, or wind-tunnel experimentation.

Comments

https://youtu.be/5pQRE3YL2xw