3D Printed VTOL

The aircraft is being designed for autonomous payload drop. I developed an initial sizing sheet to establish the aircraft’s starting design parameters and organize the tradeoffs between the payload mission and the overall configuration. The initial concept drawing translated those parameters into a plan view, laying out rotor clearances, control surfaces, the tail, and the center-of-gravity location before detailed CAD. I used the sizing sheet and layout to guide the aerodynamic analysis and mechanical design.

I used XFLR5 and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to inform the aerodynamic design and work toward locking in the outer mold line (OML) of the fuselage and aircraft. The fuselage outer mold line contributed approximately 2.5 N of drag in the CFD analysis, about 25% of the roughly 10 N total aircraft drag. These analyses informed the external geometry used for detailed mechanical design.

I selected the onboard electronics and developed an electronics diagram and wiring-harness plan. The harness diagram maps power distribution and signal connections between the battery, flight controller, motor controllers, servos, and sensors. I also documented connector changes, solder joints, and cable extensions to plan the physical assembly alongside the airframe design.

I developed the mechanical design around a fully glueless assembly, using ASA and PA612-CF printed components. Bolted joints and clamps connect the printed parts and carbon fiber tubes so the aircraft can be assembled without glue.

I worked on carbon fiber tube sizing for the aircraft structure and used finite element analysis (FEA) to assess a bracket design. The tube sizing addressed the main structure, while the FEA focused on the bracket.