Design and development of unmanned vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)

Abstract

The aim of this bachelor thesis is to Design and Develop Unmanned Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL). VTOL UAVs are a new technology that is increasingly used for a range of applications such as agriculture, civil, and military surveillance, rescue missions, and patrolling in our contemporary technological period. Many challenges, such as the lack of runways in rural locations and deep woods, led to the development of these aircraft. Because it possesses the capabilities of both a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft, the VTOL UAV is a mix of the two. These aircraft have the hovering efficiency of a helicopter and the cruising speed of a fixed-wing aircraft with the added cargo capacity of a fixed-wing aircraft. The UAV is designed with a total weight of 3 kg. The aircraft is made of Styrofoam and constructed with Aluminum reinforcements. A tricopter layout is used for propulsion with front two motors tilting forward. The thesis presents the conceptual design, preliminary sizing and detailed design of the aircraft. A CAD design of individual elements and components has been prepared, ready to be used for UAV manufacture. Various aspects of UAV like Lift, Drag, Thrust, Payload etc have been studied. It has provisions for future improvements such as Navigation and Guidance, Sensors, Wind and disturbances.