Technical Report of UAV Design & Risk Assessment

Deliverable 1: Technical Report of
UAV Design & Risk Assessment



Jameel Darwish; 2nd year Undergrad. Mechanical Engr. @UIC
Angel Becerra; 2nd year Undergrad. Chemical Engr. @UIC
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Society @UIC
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC): College of Engineering
Date: 9/1/2015











This Report describes our team's proposed preliminary system design of our UAV for mission completion, as well as our analysis and management of possible risks. [Conclusion of Risks]CONVERT TO PDF/ ADD REFERENCES TO RULES!!!
Preliminary Design –
1.1 Concept -
For this mission our team currently plans on utilizing a single UAV with a hybrid design; combining the functionality of both rotary aircraft and fixed wing aircraft. The choice to utilize a single UAV for this mission was decided based on its simplicity and efficiency in maintenance & repair.
The hybrid design of the UAV will utilize the VTOL properties that come with the capabilities of a multi-rotor aircraft i.e.; vertical take-off & landing, position hold, gyro-stabilization, etc. with the capabilities of a fixed wing aircraft i.e.; long-distance travel with less power consumption.
1.2 Mechanics & Electricals –
1.2.1 Configuration/prop layout – 3 configurations of our propeller layout are currently being considered: tri-copter, Y4, and Y6. We believe these 3 configurations would blend well with a flying wing frame to successfully achieve our hybrid concept (fig. 1.2.3). As fig. 1.2.3 illustrates the front propellers would sit in the wing on either side while the rear propeller(s) would sit at the tail.
1.2.2 Frame – Our team's current conception of the frame of our UAV will be very similar to a tri-copter frame. It will support 2 front propellers and 1 (or 2) rear or 'tail' propeller(s) vertically stacked (fig. 1.2.2) while also supporting a flying wing frame (fig 1.2.1). Space for the sample bottle compartment will also be taken into account when deciding the frames shape. The size/dimensions of our UAV have not yet been determined.
1.2.3 Props, Motors, ESC's, & Batteries – The size & weight of our UAV will determine the prop size and power of our motors & esc's. The desired flight time and power consumption of the motors will determine our battery # and capacities. A separate battery power supply will be used for the flight termination system.
1.3 Controllers & Peripherals –
1.3.1 Controller & Firmware – The main control board we have decided to use is the Pixhawk PX4 due to its well-rounded features, processing power, and open-source functionality. We plan to be running a modified version of ArduCopter coupled with APM:Plane as our firmware to achieve our hybrid functionality.
For the flight termination system our UAV will use a separate Arduino microcontroller running on an independent power supply. This Arduino will be responsible for activating the throttle kill switches for the motors, changing the servo positions, as well as deploying the parachutes.
1.3.2 Sensors – Our team has decided to use the following sensors due to their functionality as well as their Arduino based programming. First, is Pixy; a color visual sensor meant to locate Outback Joe. Second, is Virtuabox; a proximity sensor. These sensors will be utilized in the remote landing.
1.3.3 External LEDs & Switches -