AURORAINTEGRATEDSYSTEMSPVT.LTD.

PreliminarydesignReport
MALEUAVIITK
BriefIntroductiontofirstconceptofdesign

Vineetsingh
3/25/2014

MissionRequirement......................................................................................................................2

WeightEstimationandWingloading.............................................................................................3
2.1

WingloadingDiagrams...........................................................................................................4

2.1.1

Stallspeed.......................................................................................................................4

2.1.1.1 Cleanwingatdiffaltitude...........................................................................................4
2.1.1.2 Flapsdeployed............................................................................................................5
2.1.2
3

PowerEstimation............................................................................................................................9
3.1

EngineSpecifications3W28iCs.............................................................................................10

Aircraftfinaldesignincludingcontrolsurfacesizing....................................................................12
4.1

Aircraftgeometry..................................................................................................................12

4.2

Airfoilselection.....................................................................................................................13

4.2.1
4.3

4.4

XfoilanalysisofSD7037...............................................................................................13

Winganalysis........................................................................................................................14

4.3.1

CruiseSpeed....................................................................................................................6

StabilityCoefficientsfortwodifferentCglocationincludingtrimanalysis..................15

Finaldesign...........................................................................................................................17

ControlsArchitecture....................................................................................................................19
5.1.1.2 Limits.........................................................................................................................21
5.1.1.3 Lateralcontroller.......................................................................................................21
5.1.1.4 Longitudinalcontroller..............................................................................................21

MissionRequirement

A medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAV is required to be developed which should satisfy
followingcriteria:
1. MaximumtakeoffWeight:<25kg
2. Payloadcapacity:>3kgwithoptionof5kginplaceoflesserfuel
3. Takeofflength:<100monconcreterunwaywithoptionfor50m
4. Climbrate:>2.5m/satMSL
5. Operationalaltitude:1500mAboveGroundLevel(fromtakeoffpoint)
6. Endurance:>4hrs.
7. Range:>50km(100kmoptionalwithheaviercommunicationsystem)
8. Engine: 2 stroke gasoline based Internal combustion engine, should have option for heavy
fuel(JP5orJP8)forincreasingendurance
9. Maximumtakeoffaltitude:>5500m~18000ft.
10. Landing:runwaylandingwithoptionfornetarrestedlandinginfuture
Missionconstraints:
1. TheUAVshouldbeabletodisassembleandcarriedinacasesofsize5ft.by3ft.by2ft.
2. TheCGshouldnotvarybeyond5%withfuel
3. TheenduranceshouldbedemonstratedattakeofffromMeansealevel,climb1500mand
gotorangeof50kmandcomebackandland.
4. Afterfullendurancemission,thereshouldbereservefuelofmorethan1ltr
5. Theengineislimitedtointernalcombustiongasolinebasedpropellerdriven
6. Landinggearisnotretractable
7. The avionics power is to be supplied by on board generator but there is lithium polymer
battery to power the avionics in case for generator failure for up to 1 hour with total
avionicspowerbeing50Watts
8. Sufficient air scoops are to be provided for engine cooling as engine is assumed to be air
cooled.
9. The UAV should be able to perform the mission in up to 30 kts ( 56 kmph/~ 15 m/s)
continuousaveragewind.
10. Forlandingtrailingedgeflapscanbedeployedtodecreasethetouchdownairspeedandno
otherhighliftmechanismsaretobetriedout.

WeightEstimationandWingloading

The weight estimation and wing loading go hand in hand and often require iterations to arrive at
requirednumber.Thestructuralweightisdependentonthewettedareaandthatisdependenton
thecomponentsandweightoftheairframe.Thekeyparameteriswingloadingwhichdecidesthe
design point and other performance parameters. Once an estimate of weight is made, the wing
loading can be used to predict area of the wing, which in turn is used to predict the structural
weight.Thisprocessisrepeatedtillconvergedtoaparticularvalue.
Thefinalweightincludingtheweightofthecomponentsisshownbelow:
Table21

Wts (Kgs)
3.5
2.500
1.6
0
0
1.5
0.25
0.25
9.6

Incremental Wt
3.5
6
7.6
7.6
7.6
9.1
Payload/ AP
9.35
9.6

Battery
Engine + Accessories
Fuel Tank
Fuel Weight
Starter
Alternator
Power Cicuitry
Pump
Propeller

1.5
2.5
0.3
5.6
0
0
0.2
0
0.15
19.85
0.07
0.03
0.03
0
0.03
0.5
20.51
0.05
0.25
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.1

1.5
4
4.3
9.9
9.9
9.9
10.1
10.1
10.25

Power System
Communicati
on Systems

Fuselage Tailboom joint

Gimbal Mount
Wing Joint
Nose shock absorber
Rear shock Absorber
Motor Mount Bulkhea
Servo (Flap1 & 2)

0.07
0.1
0.13
0.13
0.16
0.66
0
0.25
0.3
0.35
0.4
0.45
0.55

A
ct
Misc. Structures ua
tio
n

Modem
Antennae (Comm)
Antennae(Video)
Antennae(Iridium)
GPS (1)
wires

Structures

Components
Fuselage
Wing
Empennage
Rear Landing Gear
Nose Landing Gear
Camera
Avionics
Video Storage

Servos(Aileron L &R)
Servo (Elevator)
Servo (Rudder)
Servo (Engine)
Video Transmitter
Total TOGW
Total Empty Weight

0.1
0.05
0.05
0.04
0.1
21.4
15.8

0.65
0.7
0.75
0.79
0.89

Unaccounted Wt

Weight Distribution

Structures, 7.92, 39%

Propulsion system and
power, 9.7, 48%

Payload,
1.63, 8%
Avionics, 0.12, 1%

Structures

Comm. Systems & Others

Avionics

Comm. Systems &

Others, 0.87, 4%

Payload

Propulsion system and power

2.1 WingloadingDiagrams
2.1.1 Stallspeed
2.1.1.1 Cleanwingatdiffaltitude
ItisassumedthatthecleanwinghasCLMAX=1.0.
ForthisvalueofCLMAX,thewingloadingrequiredfordifferentstallspeedsanaltitudeisobtained.
Wingloadingistargetedsoastohavestallspeedofaround17m/satMSL.Thiswouldmeanthatat
thetimeofoflanding,thetouchdownspeedcanbe~21m/satMSL.Higherlandingspeedwould
meanhigherloadsonstructures.
Moreover,therequirementofoperationsfromhighaltitudeat5000mrequiresthestallspeedtobe
muchhigher.Hence,itshouldbenotedthattrailingedgeflapsarerequiredforlandingandtakeoff.

W/S @ Diff. Stall Speeds & Altitude

W/S @ Vs = 17 m/sec.

W/S @ Vs = 18 m/sec.

W/S @ Vs = 19 m/sec.

375

W/S @ Vs = 20 m/sec.

W/S @ Vs = 21 m/sec.

W/S @ Vs = 22m/sec.

350

W/S @ Vs = 23 m/sec.

W/S @ Vs = 24 m/sec.

W/S Chosen

325
300
275
250

W/S (N/m^2)

225
200
175
150
125
100
75
50
25
0
0

1000

2000

3000

4000
Altitude (Meters)

5000

6000

7000

2.1.1.2 Flapsdeployed
CLMax=1.4usingflapsdeployed.Hence,theflapsshouldbesizedsuchthatCLMAX=1.4isachievable.
W/S @ Diff. Stall Speeds & Altitude

W/S @ Vs = 17 m/sec.

W/S @ Vs = 18 m/sec.

W/S @ Vs = 19 m/sec.

375

W/S @ Vs = 20 m/sec.

W/S @ Vs = 21 m/sec.

W/S @ Vs = 22m/sec.

350

W/S @ Vs = 23 m/sec.

W/S @ Vs = 24 m/sec.

W/S Chosen

325
300
275
250
W/S (N/m^2)

225
200
175
150
125
100
75
50
25
0
0

1000

2000

3000

4000
Altitude (Meters)

5000

6000

7000

2.1.2 CruiseSpeed
For different cruise speed and aspect ratio, the optimum wing loading is plotted for different
altitude.Forreferencetheselectedwingloadingisalsoshownforthreedifferentaspectratios.

W/S (N/ sq. meters)

Wing Loading Vs Altitude for Diff. Cruise Velocities for AR = 12

620
600
580
560
540
520
500
480
460
440
420
400
380
360
340
320
300
280
260
240
220
200
180
160
0

W/S: Vc = 20

W/S: Vc = 21

W/S: Vc = 22

W/S: Vc = 23

W/S: Vc = 24

W/S: Vc = 25

W/S: Vc = 26

W/S: Vc = 27

W/S: Vc = 28

W/S Chosen

1000

2000

3000

4000
Altitude (Meters)

5000

6000

7000

Wing Loading Vs Altitude for Diff. Cruise Velocities for AR = 9 for best CLcruise

420

W/S: Vc = 20

W/S: Vc = 21

W/S: Vc = 22

W/S: Vc = 23

W/S: Vc = 24

W/S: Vc = 25

W/S: Vc = 26

W/S: Vc = 27

W/S: Vc = 28

W/S Chosen

400
380
360
340

W/S (N/ sq. meters)

320
300
280
260
240
220
200
180
160
140
120
100
0

1000

2000

3000

4000
Altitude (Meters)

5000

6000

7000

W/S (N/ sq. meters)

Wing Loading Vs Altitude for Diff. Cruise Velocities for AR = 15

700
680
660
640
620
600
580
560
540
520
500
480
460
440
420
400
380
360
340
320
300
280
260
240
220
200
180
0

W/S: Vc = 24

W/S: Vc = 25

W/S: Vc = 26

W/S: Vc = 27

W/S: Vc = 28

W/S: Vc = 29

W/S: Vc = 30

W/S: Vc = 31

W/S: Vc = 32

W/S Chosen

1000

2000

3000

4000
Altitude (Meters)

5000

6000

Theworthwhilethingtonoteintheabovegraphsisthatthemostoptimalcruisespeediscloseto
thestallspeedasthemostoptimalCruiseliftcoefficientisalsoveryhigh.
Moreover,theoptimalCLCruisebecomescloserandclosertoCLMAXasaspectratioisincreased.This
can be found in the case of Aspect ratio 12 and 15 compared to aspect ratio of 9 in the above
graphs.
As we have seen earlier, since the stall speed is close to 20 m/s for clean wing. The Cruise speed
should be at least 25 m/s so that any disturbances due to gust and instantaneous changes in the
airspeeddonotleadtostall.Itisthereforerequiredtolookatthecarpetdiagramofpowerloading
v/swingloadingfordifferentaspectratio.Thisshouldgiveanideaoftherequiredthrustforcruise
conditionastheaspectratioisvaried.Thisactsasadecisionpointforaspectratio.Theaspectratio
shouldbechosensoastobenotveryhighasitalsoleadstostructuraldifficulties.Neithershouldit
besolowsothatitcausesundueinduceddragleadingtodecreasedendurance.

7000

Power Loading Vs Wing Loading for Diff. AR at Different Cruise Speeds at best CLcruise

AR = 12

AR = 15

V = 20 : Se alevel

V = 21: Sea Level

V = 22: Sea Level

V = 23: Sea Level

V = 24: Sea Level

V = 25: Sea Level

V = 26: Sea Level

W/S Chosen

T/W

0.1

AR = 9

0.05

0
195 210 225 240 255 270 285 300 315 330 345 360 375 390 405 420 435 450 465 480 495 510 525 540
W/S (Newton/Square Meter)

ForAspectratioof9,T/Wrequiredforcruiseis0.073.Foraspectratioof12,T/Wrequiredis0.063
andfor15,T/Wis0.056.Astheaspectratioisincreased,althoughthebestcruisespeedislower,the
Thrustbyweightbecomeslower.Athrustbyweightof0.06shouldbegoodenoughfortherequired
mission.Therefore,aspectratioshouldbeclosetoaround13.5.
Oneoftheconstraintsofthemissionisthatthewholeaircraftshouldbemodularandcarriedina
caseandcarriedincasesofsize5ftby3ftby2ft.Thismeansthelongestlengthwhichiswingsection
shouldbelessthan4ft(givinghalffeetfortheshockabsorbingfoamoneachside).
Itisintendedthatthewingbemadeinthreepieces,whereby,eachpieceislessthan1.2m.
Based on the constraint and the design insight gathered from the plots for cruise speed, the wing
spanwaschosentobe3.3mwhichcanbebrokendownto1.1mthreewingplanform.Thisgivesan
aspectratioof13.7withchosenwingareaof0.8m2.

PowerEstimation

Thepropulsionunitisrequiredtobe2strokeinternalcombustiongasolinebasedpropellerdriven
engine.Theconstraintofusinggasolinebasedengineistoensurethatthefuelisreadilyavailable.
Also,twostrokeengineproducehigherpowercomparedtofourstrokeengineandandareeasily
available.Toestimatethepowerrequiredatableismadeforestimatingtheclimbrateforthegiven
weightof20.5kgandCd0assumedto0.03whichisonthehigherside.Animportantfactoristhe
propellerefficiency.Abasicpropellercurveshowsthatpropellerefficiencyisdependentonthe
incomingairspeed,rotationalspeedofthepropelleranddiameterofthepropeller.Efficiency,as
highas0.76,ispredictedbybladeelementtheory.However,astheworstcasescenario,the
maximumpropellerefficiencyisassumedto0.66.Forachievingclimbrateof4.5m/s,thepower
requiredattheengineshaftisbackcalculatedusingthepropellerefficiencyfordifferentaspect
ratio.
Power Requirements for Target Climb Rate 4.5 m/sec. @ 1-g load, at W = 20.5 Kg

Pout Req.: 20.5 Kg, AR = 9

Pin Req.: 20.5 Kg, AR = 9

Pout Req.: 20.5 Kg, AR = 12

Pin Req.:20.5 Kg, AR = 12

Pout Req.: 20.5 Kg, AR = 15

Pin Req.: 20.5 Kg, AR = 15

Power Input: 2647 Watts

4500

4000

3500

Power (Watts)

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0
20

24

28

32

36

Velocity (m/sec.)

Thepowerinputaboveistakentobe2647wattswhichis3.55horsepower.
Thisisavailablefroma28cc3Wengine.3Wenginesarethemostwidelyusedhighlyreliableengine
from Germany. The power required shows that even for worst case scenario of lesser propeller
efficiency a climb rate of 4.5 m/s is easily achievable. In fact, climb rate as high as 6 m/s can be
achieved.Thisexcesspowerisespeciallyvaluableforoperatingathigheraltitudewherethecruise
speed,takeoffspeedaswellasthelandingspeedincreasestoabout1.5times.

40

Itisrecommendedthatthenexthigherengine3W55iCSshouldalsobekeptasbackupfortheflight
trialsincasetheweightduetopayloadbecomesmore.

3.1 EngineSpecifications3W28iCs

Techn.specifications
Cylindercapacity

1.74cuin

Power

3.55HP

PowerRating

2.64KW

Speedrange

15008500rpm

Oil/GasolineRatio

1:50/2%Mix

IISIgnition

68,4V

Propeller2bladed

16x10;18x8;18x10;20x8

Propeller3bladed

16x8;16x10

3W55XiCS

Techn.specifications
Power

5.9HP

PowerRating

4.399KW

Speedrange

13008500rpm

Oil/GasolineRatio

1:50/2%Mix

IISIgnition

68,4V

Propeller2bladed

22x8;22x10;22x12;24x8

Propeller3bladed

19x12;20x8;20x10;22x8

Apartfromtheengineitself,thereareotheraccessorieslikeintakemanifold,exhaustmanifoldand
mufflerandthrottleactuatorrequiredtoruntheengine.
Differentpropellerscanbemountedtovarythefinaloutputpower.Testsneedtobecarriedoutto
validatethebestpropellerthatshouldbeusedwhichprovidesthebestfuelefficiencyandsufficient
staticthrusttohaveshorttakeoff.

Aircraftfinaldesignincludingcontrolsurfacesizing

4.1 Aircraftgeometry

Thewingisdividedintothreesectionswitheachsectionbeing1100mmlong.Thewingshapeis
takentobeclosetosemiellipticaltohavemaximumaerodynamicefficiency.Thedownsideisthat
suchwingrequiresprecisemanufacturingofthemould.
Twodesignvariantsaresought,oneusinginvertedVTailandtheotherinvertedUtail.Theinverted
Vtailhastheadvantageofsavingweightandhavingproverserollyawcoupling.However,italso
requiresprecisefabricationofthemoldsforalignmentandalsoleadstocouplinginelevatorand
rudderifthecontrolsurfacemovementisnotsymmetric.

4.2 Airfoilselection
Manydifferentairfoilwerestudiedforselection.AmongthelowReynoldsnumberairfoil,sd7037
wasfoundtobethebestsuited.Itshouldalsobeknownthatsd7037hasbeenwidelyusedonmany
UAVsandalsoondifferentmodelsandtestedinwindtunnelbydifferentlabsextensively.

4.2.1 XfoilanalysisofSD7037

Green colour in following plot is for Reynolds number 200,000. Magenta is for Reynolds number
500,000

4.3 Winganalysis

Wingspan:3.3m
WingArea:0.79m
MAC:0.24m
RootChordLength:0.30m
Tailspan:1m
Fuselagelength:1.2m
Tailarmlength(fromleadingedgeofwingroottotailroot):1m
Verticaltailheight:0.5m

WingAirfoil:SD7037
Tailairfoil:NACA0012

4.3.1 StabilityCoefficientsfortwodifferentCglocationincludingtrimanalysis

Neutralpoint:0.235mfromleadingedgeofrootchord
Cruisevelocity:24m/s
Takeoffweight:21kg
CruiseCL:0.7

Case1:CGat0.15mfromleadingedgeofrootchord
Case2:CGat0.19mfromleadingedgeofrootchord
Case1

Case2


Otherimportantcoefficientsare
CL_alfa:6.2
Cl_aileron:0.45
Cn_aileron:0.045
Cl_rudder:0.0045
Cn_rudder:0.2
CL_flap:0.91
CM_flap:0.98
Cl_beta:0.035
Cl_p:0.6
Cl_r:0.2
Cn_r:0.2
Cn_p:0.12

4.4 Finaldesign
ItisrecommendedthatCGbekeptat190mmfromtheleadingedgeofthewing(case2above).This
leadstozerotrimelevatordeflectionataround4degreeangleofattackwhichcorrespondstoCL=
0.7,correspondingtocruisespeedof24m/satMSL.
ThechoiceofCGisimportantasthisleadstothetrimelevatorwhichshouldbeclosetozerotohave
minimumtrimdrag.
Thewingisnotgivenanydihedralandspiralisleftslightlyunstable.Ameasurementofspiral
stabilityistheratioofCl_beta*Cn_randCn_beta*Cl_r.Ifthisislessthan1,spiralisunstableandifit
ismorethanonespiralisstable.Typically,spiralisleftunstablefortheaircraftsasitisslowmode
andthepilotcanintuitivelycorrectforslightdisturbance.

Dutchrillontheotherhandisacompetingmode.Thismodetendstobecomeunstableifspiralis
madestableandviceversa.Thedutchrollisdependentontheverticaltailvolumeandthedihedral
angleofthewing.Inthecurrentdesign,theverticaltailvolumeiskepthighsoastohavestable
dutchroll.Astabledutchrollisrequired,especially,duringlandingatlowspeeds.
FlapsandAileronaresizedsoastohavecontrolsurfacederivativescloselyequaltothegeneral
acrobaticaeromodels.Thiscanleadtoabitofsensitivecontrolsformanualmode.

ControlsArchitecture

AVESautopilotisintendedtobeusedforfinalintegration.AVESautopilotisprovidesgenericPId
controlarchitecturewithdifferentgainsandlimitswhichcanbeconfiguredfortheaircraft.The
gainsarerequiredtobetunedfortheparticularaircrafttoachievethebestperformance.TheAVES
GroundControlStationalsosupportsthegaintuninginterfacewhichprovidesthecapabilitytogive
stepcommandstodesirecvariableandseetheresponseandaccordinglychangethegainsofthe
selectedcontrolloop.
Thecontrolsaredividedmainlyinlateralcontrolswhichcanbeconfiguredforaileronandrudder/
ailerononly/rudderonlymodelsandthetwolongitudinalcontrolselevatorandthrottle.User
shouldnotethannoseparatecontrolstructureisrequiredforvtailorinvertedvtailoramodelwith
elevons.Thathastobedoneinservoconfigurationexplainedlateroninthemanual.
EachcontrolloophasUAVparameters,switchesandthePIDblocks.ThePIDblocksarenotstrictly
simpletraditionalPIDlogic.Invariousplacesthecontrolusesaircraftgeometryandaerodynamic
parametersinsidethePIDblocks.
Pleasegothroughthegaintuningmanualforunderstandingthemethodlogyoftuningthecontrol
gainsandtheaircraftparameterswhichalsoincludestrimsandlimits.
5.1.1.1.1.1.1 Lateralcontrol:Aileron/Rudder

Figure1:Aileron/RudderControlloop

Aileron control is meant for the bank angle control of the UAV. The commanded roll can come
eitherfromheadingtorollblockwhichisenabledinnavigationphaseofautopilotordirectlyfrom
theloiterphase.Ifitisrudderonlymodel,thecontrolloopaddstheyawratefeedbacktoaileron
outputandthus,rudderservoshouldbeconnectedtotheaileronoutputofautopilot.Ifitisaileron
onlymodel,theruddershouldbeleftdisconnected.

5.1.1.1.1.1.2 Longitudinalcontrol:elevator

Figure2:Elevatorcontrolloop

Elevator can be controlled through altitude or air speed. Depending on the altitude window
configuredinaircrafttrimsinconfigurator,thecontroliseitherinaltitudetopitchorairspeedto
pitch. It should be understood that both air speed and altitude cannot command desired pitch
simultaneously.ThedesiredpitchiscontrolledthroughpitchtoelevatorPIDblock.
5.1.1.1.1.1.3 Longitudinalcontrol:throttle

Figure3:Throttlecontrolloop

Throttle can be controlled through altitude or air speed. Depending on the altitude window
configuredinaircrafttrimsinconfigurator,thecontroliseitherinaltitudetothrottleorairspeedto
throttle.Itshouldbeunderstoodthatbothairspeedandaltitudecannotcommanddesiredthrottle
simultaneously.Thedesiredthrottleispassedthroughthrottleslewratetogivefinalthrottle.

5.1.1.2 Limits
Each control inner or outer control loop in Aves control structure has saturation limits to prevent
overmovement of the servos or superfluous commands to be generated. These limits are very
importantforthecontrollerandthecontrollerisdesignedsoastonotexceedanyofthelimits.The
defaultvaluesoftheselimitsshouldbeused.Ifimprovementinperformanceisdesired,someofthe
relevantlimitscanbealtered.
5.1.1.3

Lateralcontroller

Table2:LateralControllerLimits

S.no.
1
2

Parameter
MaxCmdRoll
MinCmdRoll

3
4

MaxRollError
MinRollError

5
6
7

MaxAileron
MinAileron
Pitchsaturation

MinPdyn

9
10

MaxRudder
MinRudder

Meaning
MaximumCommandedrollanglefromheadingtorollcontroller
MinimumCommandedrollanglefromheadingtorollcontroller,should
benegative
Maximumcommandedrollratefromrollangleholdcontroller
Minimumcommandedrollratefromrollangleholdcontroller.Should
benegative
Maximumcommandedaileronfromrollcontroller
Minimumcommandedaileronfromrollcontroller
Valueoftangentofpitchveyondqhichpitcheffectsshouldnotbetaken
intherollcontroller.Shouldbekeptatdefaultvalue.
Minimumdynamicpressurethatcanbeachievedbytheaircraft.This
valueshouldbesettohalfthevalueofairdensity(1.2125kg/m^3)
timesthesquareofminimumairspeed.
Maximumruddercommandedfromyawratedamping.
Minimumruddercommandedformyawratedamping,shouldbe
negative.

5.1.1.4

Longitudinalcontroller

Table3:LongitudinalcontrollerLimits

S.no.
1
2
3
4
5
6

Parameter
MaxCmdPitch
MinCmdPitch
Maxelevator
Minelevator
Maxthrottle
Minthrottle

Meaning
MaximumCommandedpitchfromaltitudeorairspeed.
Minimumcommandedpitchformaltitudeorairspeed,shouldbe
negative.
Maximumelevatorcommandedthroughpitchcontrol.
Minimumelevatorcommandedthroughpitchcontrol.
Maximumcommandedthrottleformthrottlecontrol.
Minimumcommandedthrottleformthrottlecontrol.