Design and Validation of Aerial Vehicle through SOLIDWORKS

          The UAV(Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) model was designed and virtually validated through SOLIDWORKS. Figure 1 show the model in the SOLIDWORKS window.

Flexible, Agile Development
          The intelligent of the SOLIDWORKS to modify the design efficiently and quickly had created a big impact on the development process. Its flexibility on importing 3D model form 3D content centre and accessing the toolbox for standard component like Bolts, bearing and lot more made the software more user friendly and reduced the time of the designer which leads them to focus on new innovations.

Routing Vehicle Systems
          Planning and designing control boards and wiring with in the fuselage, primary and secondary actuator are critical due to it’s compactness and aerodynamic structures. Where through SOLIDWORKS Routing we can design the electrical wiring in and around the fuselage to connect the control board and wiring lines of brakes, fuel lines and cooling hoses.

FLOW Simulation Improves Aerodynamics
          The UAV must be more efficient in the aerodynamic design other wise there will be loss of energy due to wind drag force. Through SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation we can study the wind flow around the design and we can post process the flow trajectory around the model. Figure 2 & 3 show the flow trajectory of pressure around the design. From the study we can conclude that the Primary actuator or the air foil structure is perfectly aerodynamic.

Simulations Save Time, Cut Costs, Reduce Prototypes
          From the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation we understood that the design is aerodynamic but we need to gain confidence whether the UAV is good to go under real time load conditions for the particular material. In SOLIDWORKS we can import CFD data to FEA for further studies. Figure 4 shows the static study where the input load is the wind which was defined in SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation.

          At the time of landing the drones experience sudden impact so the traditional process of validating whether the drone can withstand the impact or not is destructive testing where a prototype of the drone will be made and tested under real time conditions. With SOLIDWORKS Simulation can perform drop test, figure 5 shows the stress level due to sudden impact.
Through SOLIDWORKS we can eliminate costly prototype and testing facility, so that we can cut the cost of the product and also the development time is cut shorted.