Final Work : Conceptual Study of a Fixed Wing Cargo Autonomous Drone System

Abstract

Lately, the interest towards drones for both commercial and civilian application has significantly grown. Most of the current solutions are of the family of multicopters. Their intrinsic nature, however, makes them not suitable for long range missions, where fixed wing configurations are usually preferred. This thesis work consists on the conceptual design of an autonomous fixed wing UAV, able of carrying and delivering a configurable payload. In this work, the method proposed by Roskam, Torenbeek and Gundlach is followed throughout the design process. Initial and conceptual design phases are carried out. First, the main mass and power properties of the aircraft have been estimated making use of linear regressions based on the available data. After a configuration study, more advanced methods, presented in the literature have been employed to obtain more accurate estimations of the required parameters. The Blended Wing Body configuration was proven to be the most aerodynamically efficient and thus it was object of an optimisation process. Finally the control surfaces have been designed, the Penaud diagrams presented, The material selection process carried out making use of the Enhanced Digital Logic method; a preliminary design of the cargo bay is proposed, as well as a general overview of the take off and landing systems