Design of a solar assisted flying wing small unmanned aerial system

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to further advance Unmanned Aerial System flight capabilities with solar assisted flight. To reduce drag and increase flight efficiency, a flying wing configuration was selected and developed modeling the tradeoff between additional drag and power received from photovoltaic cells. To initiate the design process, strategies based on the needs were implemented to determine initial constraints. As the design methodology progressed, the selected parameters were finetuned and optimized to best meet the performance requirements and simplify the fabrication process. The chosen design was modeled for computational fluid dynamics simulations, stability and control analysis, and finite element analysis before manufacturing and physical testing. With the iterative design methodology, a final design was determined, and a prototype was developed testing the foam manufacturing processes and the overall design compatibility. Preliminary testing of the aircraft without photovoltaic cells as well as tests of the cells with the power system were performed to validate the power requirements and confirm the performance predictions.