Classes:
one 3hr design class per week in Aero Comp Lab. Classes shall
be in the form of formal design meetings and work sessions, with occasional
lectures and tutorials.
Assessment:
Design Project Reports
Objectives/Outcomes:
To develop an understanding of the application of design to the
modern aerospace industry. Students will gain an overview of how
to manage a project and its associated design team and will also gain skills
in setting design specifications and carrying out detailed design analysis.
References:
As per the list given in AERO4400 Aircraft Design 3.
More details will be available as the project(s) progress(es).
(1) Tactical-size Multi-Role Modular Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
There is an ongoing requirement for small UAV platforms suitable
for a wide range of potential commercial or military applications.
This type of flight platforms is especially in demand by organisations
or groups wishing to explore or investigate new market sectors or wishing
to try out the use of UAVs in their specific market sector. Developing
new airframes for each of these clients would incur prohibitively high
costs. Adapting existing airframes to these applications often come
with severe operational or performance penalties.
Hence there is a desire to develop a modular UAV airframe system such that the major components are interchangeable to suit a broad range of potential applications. Your task is to form a design team to design and develop this Modular UAV system.
(2) If you have a specific design project in mind, please discuss it with us as to its suitability for assessment for this Unit of Study. AERO4490 ADVANCED AIRCRAFT DESIGN 4 Credit Points
Hence there is a desire to develop a modular UAV airframe system such that the major components are interchangeable to suit a broad range of potential applications. Your task is to form a design team to design and develop this Modular UAV system.
Task this year is, therefore, the airframe system design of a 30-150 kg AUW-range (manageable-sizes but challenge is to accommodate the very broad weight-range with common modules) multi-role modular UAV. Each student will be allocated design responsibility for one or more modules of this airframe. A baseline idea for the airframe concept will be outlined, leaving you to work on details. Assessment will be based on individual work, but definite expectations will be there for class-wide interactions because of interface issues. Each student will be looking after every aspect of his/her module, including aspects of aircraft performance (cf. generic baseline), aerodynamics, structures, tooling, manufacture, impact on control and stability, module interchangeability, module versatility, and anything else that is relevant to that module. Various student numbers can be accommodated because there has to be different wing modules, for example, for differences in requirements for general short-range surveillance and high altitude, long endurance/range roles. Likewise there may be multiple propulsion-modules, tail/canard-modules, and fuselage-modules.
The baseline airframe is one which has an AUW of 30kg, being capable of 1 hour endurance and a payload of 7 kg. The airframe configuration of this modular UAV is to reflect the need to be able to fly over the full range of weights - from empty to max-payload, without ballast.