Faculty Mentor

Heechang (Alex) Bae

Presentation Type

Poster

Primary Discipline of Presentation

Engineering

Abstract

The creation of online food ordering and delivery is an invention that has introduced a completely new market with the potential for innovation. Traditional methods of delivery currently focus on individual delivery drivers. But this method depends on variables like traffic and road conditions and uses considerable amounts of fuel while incurring prohibitive costs to employers, which may be impractical for small businesses. To that end, our team’s project seeks to design and fabricate a 3D printed eVTOL delivery drone capable of vertical takeoff and landing along with transition to horizontal flight. We believe that our design will be lightweight, will use no fuel due to using a battery for power, will not be reliant on traffic due to its flight capabilities and will be time efficient due to its forward flight option.

Our team began by doing some initial research and analysis to decide what type of drone to use. Two types of drones evaluated were a tail sitter and a quad plane drone. It was decided that a quad plane with rotating forward motors would be used. A quadcopter was determined to be the most practical because its vertical flight portions will be simple, and the tilting motors will allow it to have a simple transition to forward flight and keep the food/payload secure.

Our team designed all our original parts in SOLIDWORKS and then created several subassemblies before combining them into a final assembly. We performed several calculations to determine final specifications and estimated performance. Also performed was FEA and flow simulations to verify our design will meet our needs. Our final design specifications include a maximum payload limit of 4.3 pounds and thrust-to-weight ratio of 2.115. All final design specifications will be included in the further sections of this report. After this report, our team will move into the testing and manufacturing portion, culminating in a final product along with demonstration and Expo.

Included in

Aviation Commons

Share

COinS
 

eVTOl Delivery Drone

The creation of online food ordering and delivery is an invention that has introduced a completely new market with the potential for innovation. Traditional methods of delivery currently focus on individual delivery drivers. But this method depends on variables like traffic and road conditions and uses considerable amounts of fuel while incurring prohibitive costs to employers, which may be impractical for small businesses. To that end, our team’s project seeks to design and fabricate a 3D printed eVTOL delivery drone capable of vertical takeoff and landing along with transition to horizontal flight. We believe that our design will be lightweight, will use no fuel due to using a battery for power, will not be reliant on traffic due to its flight capabilities and will be time efficient due to its forward flight option.

Our team began by doing some initial research and analysis to decide what type of drone to use. Two types of drones evaluated were a tail sitter and a quad plane drone. It was decided that a quad plane with rotating forward motors would be used. A quadcopter was determined to be the most practical because its vertical flight portions will be simple, and the tilting motors will allow it to have a simple transition to forward flight and keep the food/payload secure.

Our team designed all our original parts in SOLIDWORKS and then created several subassemblies before combining them into a final assembly. We performed several calculations to determine final specifications and estimated performance. Also performed was FEA and flow simulations to verify our design will meet our needs. Our final design specifications include a maximum payload limit of 4.3 pounds and thrust-to-weight ratio of 2.115. All final design specifications will be included in the further sections of this report. After this report, our team will move into the testing and manufacturing portion, culminating in a final product along with demonstration and Expo.