Small Unmanned Fixed-Wing Aircraft Design : A Practical Approach.

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Foreward -- Series Preface -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Part I Introducing Fixed-Wing UAVs -- Chapter 1 Preliminaries -- 1.1 Externally Sourced Components -- 1.2 Manufacturing Methods -- 1.3 Project DECODE -- 1.4 The Stages of Design -- 1.4.1 Concept Design -- 1.4.2 Preliminary Design -- 1.4.3 Detail Design -- 1.4.4 Manufacturing Design -- 1.4.5 In-service Design and Decommissioning -- 1.5 Summary -- Chapter 2 Unmanned Air Vehicles -- 2.1 A Brief Taxonomy of UAVs -- 2.2 The Morphology of a UAV -- 2.2.1 Lifting Surfaces -- 2.2.2 Control Surfaces -- 2.2.3 Fuselage and Internal Structure -- 2.2.4 Propulsion Systems -- 2.2.5 Fuel Tanks -- 2.2.6 Control Systems -- 2.2.7 Payloads -- 2.2.8 Take-off and Landing Gear -- 2.3 Main Design Drivers -- Part II The Aircraft in More Detail -- Chapter 3 Wings -- 3.1 Simple Wing Theory and Aerodynamic Shape -- 3.2 Spars -- 3.3 Covers -- 3.4 Ribs -- 3.5 Fuselage Attachments -- 3.6 Ailerons/Roll Control -- 3.7 Flaps -- 3.8 Wing Tips -- 3.9 Wing-housed Retractable Undercarriage -- 3.10 Integral Fuel Tanks -- Chapter 4 Fuselages and Tails (Empennage) -- 4.1 Main Fuselage/Nacelle Structure -- 4.2 Wing Attachment -- 4.3 Engine and Motor Mountings -- 4.4 Avionics Trays -- 4.5 Payloads - Camera Mountings -- 4.6 Integral Fuel Tanks -- 4.7 Assembly Mechanisms and Access Hatches -- 4.8 Undercarriage Attachment -- 4.9 Tails (Empennage) -- Chapter 5 Propulsion -- 5.1 Liquid-Fueled IC Engines -- 5.1.1 Glow-plug IC Engines -- 5.1.2 Spark Ignition Gasoline IC Engines -- 5.1.3 IC Engine Testing -- 5.2 Rare-earth Brushless Electric Motors -- 5.3 Propellers -- 5.4 Engine/Motor Control -- 5.5 Fuel Systems -- 5.6 Batteries and Generators -- Chapter 6 Airframe Avionics and Systems -- 6.1 Primary Control Transmitter and Receivers.

6.2 Avionics Power Supplies -- 6.3 Servos -- 6.4 Wiring, Buses, and Boards -- 6.5 Autopilots -- 6.6 Payload Communications Systems -- 6.7 Ancillaries -- 6.8 Resilience and Redundancy -- Chapter 7 Undercarriages -- 7.1 Wheels -- 7.2 Suspension -- 7.3 Steering -- 7.4 Retractable Systems -- Part III Designing UAVs -- Chapter 8 The Process of Design -- 8.1 Goals and Constraints -- 8.2 Airworthiness -- 8.3 Likely Failure Modes -- 8.3.1 Aerodynamic and Stability Failure -- 8.3.2 Structural Failure -- 8.3.3 Engine/Motor Failure -- 8.3.4 Control System Failure -- 8.4 Systems Engineering -- 8.4.1 Work-breakdown Structure -- 8.4.2 Interface Definitions -- 8.4.3 Allocation of Responsibility -- 8.4.4 Requirements Flowdown -- 8.4.5 Compliance Testing -- 8.4.6 Cost and Weight Management -- 8.4.7 Design "Checklist -- Chapter 9 Tool Selection -- 9.1 Geometry/CAD Codes -- 9.2 Concept Design -- 9.3 Operational Simulation and Mission Planning -- 9.4 Aerodynamic and Structural Analysis Codes -- 9.5 Design and Decision Viewing -- 9.6 Supporting Databases -- Chapter 10 Concept Design: Initial Constraint Analysis -- 10.1 The Design Brief -- 10.1.1 Drawing up a Good Design Brief -- 10.1.2 Environment and Mission -- 10.1.3 Constraints -- 10.2 Airframe Topology -- 10.2.1 Unmanned versus Manned - Rethinking Topology -- 10.2.2 Searching the Space of Topologies -- 10.2.3 Systematic "invention" of UAV Concepts -- 10.2.4 Managing the Concept Design Process -- 10.3 Airframe and Powerplant Scaling via Constraint Analysis -- 10.3.1 The Role of Constraint Analysis -- 10.3.2 The Impact of Customer Requirements -- 10.3.3 Concept Constraint Analysis - A Proposed Computational Implementation -- 10.3.4 The Constraint Space -- 10.4 A Parametric Constraint Analysis Report -- 10.4.1 About This Document -- 10.4.2 Design Brief -- 10.4.3 Unit Conversions.

10.4.4 Basic Geometry and Initial Guesses -- 10.4.5 Preamble -- 10.4.6 Preliminary Calculations -- 10.4.7 Constraints -- 10.5 The Combined Constraint Diagram and Its Place in the Design Process -- Chapter 11 Spreadsheet-Based Concept Design and Examples -- 11.1 Concept Design Algorithm -- 11.2 Range -- 11.3 Structural Loading Calculations -- 11.4 Weight and CoG Estimation -- 11.5 Longitudinal Stability -- 11.6 Powering and Propeller Sizing -- 11.7 Resulting Design: Decode-1 -- 11.8 A Bigger Single Engine Design: Decode-2 -- 11.9 A Twin Tractor Design: SPOTTER -- Chapter 12 Preliminary Geometry Design -- 12.1 Preliminary Airframe Geometry and CAD -- 12.2 Designing Decode-1 with AirCONICS -- Chapter 13 Preliminary Aerodynamic and Stability Analysis -- 13.1 Panel Method Solvers - XFoil and XFLR5 -- 13.2 RANS Solvers - Fluent -- 13.2.1 Meshing, Turbulence Model Choice, and y+ -- 13.3 Example Two-dimensional Airfoil Analysis -- 13.4 Example Three-dimensional Airfoil Analysis -- 13.5 3D Models of Simple Wings -- 13.6 Example Airframe Aerodynamics -- 13.6.1 Analyzing Decode-1 with XFLR5: Aerodynamics -- 13.6.2 Analyzing Decode-1 with XFLR5: Control Surfaces -- 13.6.3 Analyzing Decode-1 with XFLR5: Stability -- 13.6.4 Flight Simulators -- 13.6.5 Analyzing Decode-1 with Fluent -- Chapter 14 Preliminary Structural Analysis -- 14.1 Structural Modeling Using AirCONICS -- 14.2 Structural Analysis Using Simple Beam Theory -- 14.3 Finite Element Analysis (FEA) -- 14.3.1 FEA Model Preparation -- 14.3.2 FEA Complete Spar and Boom Model -- 14.3.3 FEA Analysis of 3D Printed and Fiber- or Mylar-clad Foam Parts -- 14.4 Structural Dynamics and Aeroelasticity -- 14.4.1 Estimating Wing Divergence, Control Reversal, and Flutter Onset Speeds -- 14.5 Summary of Preliminary Structural Analysis -- Chapter 15 Weight and Center of Gravity Control -- 15.1 Weight Control.

15.2 Longitudinal Center of Gravity Control -- Chapter 16 Experimental Testing and Validation -- 16.1 Wind Tunnels Tests -- 16.1.1 Mounting the Model -- 16.1.2 Calibrating the Test -- 16.1.3 Blockage Effects -- 16.1.4 Typical Results -- 16.2 Airframe Load Tests -- 16.2.1 Structural Test Instruments -- 16.2.2 Structural Mounting and Loading -- 16.2.3 Static Structural Testing -- 16.2.4 Dynamic Structural Testing -- 16.3 Avionics Testing -- Chapter 17 Detail Design: Constructing Explicit Design Geometry -- 17.1 The Generation of Geometry -- 17.2 Fuselage -- 17.3 An Example UAV Assembly -- 17.3.1 Hand Sketches -- 17.3.2 Master Sketches -- 17.4 3D Printed Parts -- 17.4.1 Decode-1: The Development of a Parametric Geometry for the SLS Nylon Wing Spar/Boom "Scaffold Clamp -- 17.4.2 Approach -- 17.4.3 Inputs -- 17.4.4 Breakdown of Part -- 17.4.5 Parametric Capability -- 17.4.6 More Detailed Model -- 17.4.7 Manufacture -- 17.5 Wings -- 17.5.1 Wing Section Profile -- 17.5.2 Three-dimensional Wing -- Part IV Manufacture and Flight -- Chapter 18 Manufacture -- 18.1 Externally Sourced Components -- 18.2 Three-Dimensional Printing -- 18.2.1 Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) -- 18.2.2 Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) -- 18.2.3 Sealing Components -- 18.3 Hot-wire Foam Cutting -- 18.3.1 Fiber and Mylar Foam Cladding -- 18.4 Laser Cutting -- 18.5 Wiring Looms -- 18.6 Assembly Mechanisms -- 18.6.1 Bayonets and Locking Pins -- 18.6.2 Clamps -- 18.6.3 Conventional Bolts and Screws -- 18.7 Storage and Transport Cases -- Chapter 19 Regulatory Approval and Documentation -- 19.1 Aviation Authority Requirements -- 19.2 System Description -- 19.2.1 Airframe -- 19.2.2 Performance -- 19.2.3 Avionics and Ground Control System -- 19.2.4 Acceptance Flight Data -- 19.3 Operations Manual -- 19.3.1 Organization, Team Roles, and Communications -- 19.3.2 Brief Technical Description.

19.3.3 Operating Limits, Conditions, and Control -- 19.3.4 Operational Area and Flight Plans -- 19.3.5 Operational and Emergency Procedures -- 19.3.6 Maintenance Schedule -- 19.4 Safety Case -- 19.4.1 Risk Assessment Process -- 19.4.2 Failure Modes and Effects -- 19.4.3 Operational Hazards -- 19.4.4 Accident List -- 19.4.5 Mitigation List -- 19.4.6 Accident Sequences and Mitigation -- 19.5 Flight Planning Manual -- Chapter 20 Test Flights and Maintenance -- 20.1 Test Flight Planning -- 20.1.1 Exploration of Flight Envelope -- 20.1.2 Ranking of Flight Tests by Risk -- 20.1.3 Instrumentation and Recording of Flight Test Data -- 20.1.4 Pre-flight Inspection and Checklists -- 20.1.5 Atmospheric Conditions -- 20.1.6 Incident and Crash Contingency Planning, Post Crash Safety, Recording, and Management of Crash Site -- 20.2 Test Flight Examples -- 20.2.1 UAS Performance Flight Test (MANUAL Mode) -- 20.2.2 UAS CoG Flight Test (MANUAL Mode) -- 20.2.3 Fuel Consumption Tests -- 20.2.4 Engine Failure, Idle, and Throttle Change Tests -- 20.2.5 Autonomous Flight Control -- 20.2.6 Auto-Takeoff Test -- 20.2.7 Auto-Landing Test -- 20.2.8 Operational and Safety Flight Scenarios -- 20.3 Maintenance -- 20.3.1 Overall Airframe Maintenance -- 20.3.2 Time and Flight Expired Items -- 20.3.3 Batteries -- 20.3.4 Flight Control Software -- 20.3.5 Maintenance Record Keeping -- Chapter 21 Lessons Learned -- 21.1 Things that Have Gone Wrong and Why -- Part V Appendices, Bibliography, and Index -- Chapter A Generic Aircraft Design Flowchart -- Chapter B Example AirCONICS Code for Decode-1 -- Chapter C Worked (Manned Aircraft) Detail Design Example -- C.1 Stage 1: Concept Sketches -- C.2 Stage 2: Part Definition -- C.3 Stage 3: "Flying Surfaces -- C.4 Stage 4: Other Items -- C.5 Stage 5: Detail Definition -- Bibliography -- Index -- EULA.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.