Team 518: Lightweight UAV

Clayton Cooley, Taylor Jacobs, Zachary Noay, Brenden Richman, Brian Thervil
FAMU-FSUTeam 518 of Engineering  2525 Pottsdamer St. Tallahassee, FL. 32310
College i

2020
 Abstract

As drones become popular in government and civilian use, users want better abilities out

of an equal scale aircraft. Government uses include surveillance, aerial defense, and moving

goods. Civilian uses include surveying livestock, preserving crops, and hobbyist enjoyment.

Because of increased demands, a need for advances of flying drones arose. Decreasing the

weight of a drone while keeping the same performance allows companies to increase

performance without scaling the craft. These airplanes can have increased flight time and

payload size in the future. A lighter plane lessens the demands of individual parts. A lower

weight needs smaller lift force to achieve flight and lower thrust to stay in flight. A decrease of

lift and thrust allows businesses room to later increase performance or payload. For our project,

we are decreasing the weight of the Believer 1960mm. This is a fixed wing drone that represents

a scaled down modern plane, such as the Cirrus Vision Jet G2. Newer drones have their weight

changed using standard techniques. A common standard technique is to switch to a lighter

material. Because companies use these techniques we are using different methods, such as

explorative design. To begin the weight decrease, we use Computer Aided Design programs,

such as Fusion 360, to model the Believer and its parts. These can use explorative design to

remove material from the body without changing strength. Then, we choose electric parts to

match the new body of the aircraft. This entails choosing a lighter battery and motors with

suitable performance needs. Body and electric items go through these steps again as changing the

weight of a plane needs multiple runs for the best result. These methods allow us to decrease the

weight of a commercially available drone.

Team 518 ii

2020
 Table of Contents
Abstract................................................................................................................................ii

List of Tables......................................................................................................................vi

List of Figures.....................................................................................................................ix

Notation...............................................................................................................................x

Chapter One: EML 4551C.................................................................................................11

1.1 Project Scope........................................................................................................11

1.2 Customer Needs.........................................................................................................3

1.3 Functional Decomposition.........................................................................................5

Priorities Reasoning.....................................................................................................8

1.4 Target Summary........................................................................................................9

Mission Critical Targets and Metrics........................................................................11

1.5 Concept Generation.................................................................................................13

Concept 1...................................................................................................................15

Concept 2...................................................................................................................16

Concept 3...................................................................................................................17

Concept 4...................................................................................................................18

Concept 5...................................................................................................................19

Concept 6...................................................................................................................20

Team 518 iii

2020
 Concept 7...................................................................................................................21

Concept 8...................................................................................................................22

1.6 Concept Selection....................................................................................................23

House of Quality........................................................................................................23

Pugh Charts................................................................................................................25

Analytical Hierarchy Process....................................................................................27

Selected Concept.......................................................................................................31

Appendices........................................................................................................................33

Appendix A: Code of Conduct..........................................................................................34

Appendix B: Functional Decomposition...........................................................................43

Appendix C: Targets and Metrics......................................................................................44

Appendix D: Concept Generation.....................................................................................46

Morphological Charts....................................................................................................46

Crap Shoot.....................................................................................................................47

Forced Analogy.............................................................................................................49

Appendix E: Concept Selection.........................................................................................51

Pairwise Comparison.....................................................................................................51

House of Quality............................................................................................................52

Pugh Charts....................................................................................................................53
Team 518 iv

2020
 Analytical Hierarchy Process........................................................................................54

Empty Weight............................................................................................................56

Endurance..................................................................................................................58

Wingspan...................................................................................................................60

Length........................................................................................................................61

Payload Weight..........................................................................................................63

Drag Coefficient........................................................................................................64

Criteria Consistency Check.......................................................................................66

Final Rating Matrix....................................................................................................66

Alternative Weight.....................................................................................................67

References..........................................................................................................................68

Team 518 v

2020
 List of Tables

Table 1 Customer Responses and Interpreted Needs from Asked Questions.....................3

Table 2 Major Functions Cross Reference Table................................................................7

Table 3 Major Functions and Subfunctions Cross Reference Table...................................7

Table 4 Targets and Metrics for UAV Functions................................................................9

Table 5 UAV Morphological Chart for Body Configuration.............................................13

Table 6 UAV Morphological Chart for Hardware Configuration....................................14

Table 7 Pugh Chart Iteration One Against RQ-11B Raven..............................................26

Table 8 Pugh Chart Iteration Two Against Concept 3......................................................26

Table 9 [C] Matrix for All Selection Criteria....................................................................28

Table 10 Normalized [C] Matrix for All Selection Criteria..............................................29

Table 11 Consistency Check for All Criteria.....................................................................29

Table 12 Checking Consistency and Bias..........................................................................30

Table 13 Final Rating Matrix............................................................................................30

Table 14 Concepts Alterative Values.................................................................................31

Table 15 Complete Targets and Metrics...........................................................................44

Table 16 UAV Morphological Chart for Body Configuration...........................................46

Table 17 UAV Morphological Chart for Hardware Configuration..................................46

Table 18 Pairwise Comparison for Customer Needs........................................................51

Table 19 Pugh Chart Iteration One...................................................................................53

Table 20 Pugh Chart Iteration Two...................................................................................53

Table 21 [C] Matrix for All Criteria.................................................................................54

Team 518 vi

2020
Table 22 Normalized [C] Matrix.......................................................................................55

Table 23 All Criteria Consistency Check..........................................................................55

Table 24 Consistency and Bias Check...............................................................................56

Table 25 Empty Weight [C] Matrix...................................................................................56

Table 26 Normalized Empty Weight [C]...........................................................................57

Table 27 Consistency Check for Empty Weight.................................................................57

Table 28 Endurance [C] Matrix........................................................................................58

Table 29 Normalized Endurance [C] Matrix....................................................................59

Table 30 Consistency Check for Endurance......................................................................59

Table 31 Wingspan [C] Matrix..........................................................................................60

Table 32 Normalized Wingspan [C]Matrix.......................................................................60

Table 33 Wingspan Consistency Check.............................................................................61

Table 34 Length [C] Matrix..............................................................................................61

Table 35 Normalized Length [C] Matrix...........................................................................62

Table 36 Length Consistency Check..................................................................................62

Table 37 Payload Weight [C] Matrix................................................................................63

Table 38 Normalized Payload Weight [C] Matrix............................................................63

Table 39 Payload Weight Consistency Check...................................................................64

Table 40 Drag Coefficient [C] Matrix...............................................................................64

Table 41 Normalized Drag Coefficient [C] Matrix...........................................................65

Table 42 Payload Weight Consistency Check...................................................................65

Table 43 Consistency and Bias Check for All Individual Criteria....................................66

Team 518 vii

2020
Table 44 Final Rating Matrix............................................................................................66

Table 45 Alternative Weights of Concepts.........................................................................67

Team 518 viii

2020
 List of Figures

Figure 1. Functional decomposition of the drone systems..................................................6

Figure 2. Concept paths from body configuration morphological chart...........................15

Figure 3. High wing, elongated fuselage, with inboard payload.......................................16

Figure 4. High wing, elongated fuselage, protruding payload..........................................17

Figure 5. High wing, elongated fuselage, protruding payload..........................................18

Figure 6. Mid wing, elongated fuselage, protruding camera.............................................19

Figure 7. Mid wing, underwing fuselage, inboard payload...............................................20

Figure 8. Mid wing, underwing fuselage, protruding payload..........................................21

Figure 9. High wing, underwing fuselage, inboard payload..............................................22

Figure 10. High wing, underwing fuselage, protruding payload.......................................22

Figure 11. House of quality with highlighted top engineering characteristics..................24

Figure 12. Functional decomposition of necessary drone actions.....................................43

Figure 13. House of Quality..............................................................................................52

Team 518 ix

2020
 Notation

UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

EO Electro-Optical

IR Infra-Red

M2-D Micro gyro stabilized gimbal system

RQ-11B Model of reference drone from

AeroVironment
FLIR Forward Looking Infrared Radar

UART Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter

Empennage Stability configuration of aircraft tail

Team 518 x

2020
 Chapter One: EML 4551C

1.1 Project Scope

Project Description. 

The objective of this project is to reduce the weight of a commercially available UAV

through light weighting processes. 

Key Goals. 

The key goals are aspects of the project that we aim to accomplish with the end product. We

have set the key goals to be: 

 Maintain Performance characteristics of the UAV 

 Decrease the weight of UAV  

 Use more than one light-weighting techniques 

Markets.

The markets for a project are the industries where the product is viable for use. There are

generally two types of markets considered for projects, primary and secondary. The primary

market is what the product is designed for, where the secondary market consists of other possible

uses or interests for the product. For our project the primary market is identified as U.S.

Government and military personnel. The secondary market is farmers, small companies, and

enthusiasts.

Team 518 xi

2020
 Assumptions. 

Our assumptions for this project are boundaries that must be set to complete this project

by the set timeline of the school year. For our project we have the following assumptions: 

 Used at Earth’s atmospheric pressure and air composition 

 Used in open areas for flight 

 Maximum flight time will be 1 hour or less 

 UAV will comply to Category 1 specifications 

 UAV will be user-controlled 

A category 1 UAV is defined by the maximum take-off gross weight of 0-20 lbs, the

normal operating altitude of less than 1200 ft above ground level, and the airspeed operation of

less than 100 knots.  

Stakeholders. 

Stakeholders are parties considered to be invested, interested, or have control in the

outcome of the project. For this project the stakeholders are: 

 Northrop Grumman 

 Dr. Shayne McConomy 

 Dr. Rajan Kumar 

 Dr. Jerris Hooker 

 Dr. Camilo Ordonez 

 Attendees of the Commercial UAV Expo

Team 518 xii

2020
1.2 Customer Needs

The customer needs are interpreted statements that set product function, attributes, and

requirements that the customer would like but have not necessarily been provided to the

engineering team. The customer needs are obtained by asking the product sponsor questions

relating to the general objective of the project. Table 1 below consists of the questions Team 518

asked the Northrop Grumman team during our initial meeting. The interpreted customer needs

have been declared in the table beside the customer response. 

Table 1
Customer Responses and Interpreted Needs from Asked Questions

Question Customer Response Interpreted Customer Need

Is the purpose of this The success will be The drone’s gross weight is

lightweight drone to fly for judged by weight lighter than a specified

longer periods, carry items reduction to reference reference drone 

for transport, have increased drone.   

velocity, etc.?  

Is the team provided a drone The senior design The drone chassis/body is

to utilize for this project or team has control over constructed and hardware

should one be designed and this, but they have components purchased. 

constructed?  access to construction  

resources. 

Team 518 xiii

2020
Should the drone be able to The drone should be The drone withstands

withstand wet weather able to withstand standard/common flight

conditions, such as rain or weather conditions weather conditions. 

mist from water? Is related to where the  

weatherproofing a vital senior design team

aspect of this project?  thinks it will be used. 

What is the desired flight The design team has Drone flight time is same or

time of the drone under its full control of flight greater than reference drone. 

full capacity, e.g. full time and payload.   

velocity, full load, etc.

depending on purpose? 

What are the legal The drone should The drone meets Federal

regulations for this project follow any and all Aviation Administration

that we must abide by? FAA, required government (FAA) and U.S. Department of

U.S. DOT, other countries regulations.  Transportation (U.S. DOT)

regulations, etc.?  requirements. 

Should the drone be The team has access to Drone chassis/parts are

constructed of 3D printed the CAD software and constructed of 3D printed

material or is that a 3D printing materials.  materials. 

secondary goal to being  

lightweight? 

Team 518 xiv

2020
What is the expected size of The design team has The drone is smaller than

the drone in reference to full control over the double of the reference drone. 

current drones on the reference and product

market?  specifications 

What are the desired flight Drone should be Drone operates in U.S. climate

climates for the lightweight comparable to current conditions. 

UAV?  drones but will not be  

physically used by

Northrop Grumman. 

What are the expected The team’s timeline The drone is user controlled. 

operation circumstances of does not account for  

this UAV, should it be autonomous control

autonomous or user and user controlled is a

controlled?  better option. 

From the gather customer needs the basis for our project was developed. Our project is

aimed at constructing a lightweight drone out of 3D printed material, that can operate in local

weather conditions, while abiding by all government regulations.

1.3 Functional Decomposition

A functional decomposition provides a simplified breakdown of a complex system into

its action characteristics. In order to gain a better understanding, a functional decomposition was

created for the Lightweight UAV. The customer requirements given by Northrop Grumman,
Team 518 xv

2020
were to identify ways of creating a lighter UAV and increase flight time. With this information

the functional decomposition in Figure 1 was constructed.

UAV

Communication Flight Surveillance Support

Send
Accelerate Power Payload Generates Lift
Commands

Houses
Recieve Data Decelerate Record Data
Hardware

Adjust Roll,
Orient Payload Couples Payload
Pitch, Yaw

Figure 1. Functional decomposition of the drone systems.

The fixed wing UAV can be broken down into 4 main subsystems (communication,

flight, surveillance, and support). The communication system consists of all functions that are

needed for the user to effectively control the UAV. The flight system incorporates functions that

are needed for the UAV to takeoff and maintain course while in the air. The Surveillance system

includes all functions needed for the drone to be able to properly record and take pictures while

in the air. The support system encompasses any functions that are needed to provide stability and

Team 518 xvi

2020
rigidity for the UAV while it’s in the air and allow proper mounting of hardware. The

relationships between each main function is laid out in Table 2. These systems must be

incorporated into the final design of the UAV so that it can fly and surveil properly. Once

conceptual design has begun, the functions will be broken down into more specific actions.

Table 2
Major Functions Cross Reference Table

Function: Communication Flight Surveillance Support

Communication X X X

Flight X X X

Surveillance X X

Support X X X

The subfunctions of the main functions have an impact on other main functions of the

system. To understand how these subfunctions can cross over to other areas the relationship

between each subfunction and main function was identified in Table 3.

Table 3
Major Functions and Subfunctions Cross Reference Table
Subfunction: Communication Flight Surveillance Support

Send Commands X X X

Receive Data X X X

Accelerate X X

Decelerate X X
Team 518 xvii

2020
Adjust Roll, Pitch, Yaw X X

Power Payload X X

Record Data X

Orient Payload X X X

Generates Lift X X

Houses Hardware X

Couples payload X X

Priorities Reasoning.

Communication – Drone needs to able to communicate with user. This will allow for

control of operations from user, while sending data to help user better under flight operations.

Flight – The reason it comes in second for priority is that the drone needs the first two

priority in order to operate. The drone increased flight time is accomplished by reduction of

weight and implementing components with lower power modes.

Surveillance – This comes in third, as this function was defined by Team 518. This

function allows for a user to identify objects while the drone is in the air.

Support – This comes in fourth as this project mainly focuses on the design aspect of the

drone. The drone needs to be able to fly and to navigate through the air. Allowing the user to

adjust the speed and direction of the drone.

The priority ranking of the systems will impact how we delegate our time. Since

communication is at the top of the priority list, we will be sure to focus on it and make sure the

Team 518 xviii

2020
drone is able to communicate with the user properly. Since its functions are to send commands

and receive data, one of our project objectives will be make sure we include a good transmitter

and receiver in the design.

1.4 Target Summary

There are necessary goals to be set for a product’s functions in order to define how the

functions will be evaluated. These necessary goals consist of the targets and metrics that are

based upon the action items from the functional decomposition. The targets are the specific

values that are used to design the product around. These would consist of exact measurements

such as the length of a part, or the weight of the product. The metrics are how the function of the

product is going to be achieved and determined a success. This would consist of an explanation

of the function, an example being, for the Accelerate function to be achieved there would need to

be an increase in thrust. The targets and metrics for our functions of the lightweight UAV are

displayed in Table 4 with the critical targets and metrics shown with an asterisk.

Table 4
Targets and Metrics for UAV Functions

Function Metric Target

Send Commands Range 10 kilometers

Receive Data Range 10 kilometers

Accelerate Thrust source increases Thrust source > 50%

Decelerate Thrust source decreases Thrust source < 50%

Adjust Roll, Pitch, Yaw Articulate ailerons, -45°<=Ailerons <=45°

elevators, and rudders -45°<=Elevators<=45°

Team 518 xix

2020
 -45°<=Rudder <= 45°

Delivers power to payload Voltage > 2.0 V

Power Payload
and components

Record Data Video Quality Resolution >=480p

Orient Payload Ruler 360 degrees

Airfoil produces greater lift *Lift >=18.68 Newtons

Generate Lift
force than gross weight

House Hardware Volume <=0.30 m3

*>=160 g
*Couple Payload Payload attaches to drone
*<=200 g

*Endure Time while airborne *>=60 minutes

Stored Width <= 0.762 m

Carry by Backpack Stored Drone Dimensions
Stored Length <=0.508 m

Stored Drone Dimensions >=30 km/hour

Cruising Speed of UAV Hand Take off

Take off procedure >=152.4 m

Cruising altitude *<=1.905 kg

The targets are that we have used are based off the AeroVironment RQ-11B Raven. The

RQ-11B Raven is a current military surveillance drone that is considered a group 1 UAV (U.S.

Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap 2010-2035). The Accelerate and Decelerate targets

are based off the recommended thrust to weight ratio of 1.0 to generate vertical acceleration,

Team 518 xx

2020
however we aim to increase the ratio to at least 2.0 so that the aircraft can hover at half throttle

for improved endurance (Hall, 2015). The drone will need to be transported via backpack, so the

final stored transport dimensions of the drone are limited to the size of a standard doorway. The

standard width of a doorway being 32 inches, this will allow for the end user to not be limited

while carrying the UAV (Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards, 2010). The other

targets are taken from the data sheet of the RQ-11B Raven directly from its manufacturer

AeroVironment (UAS: RQ-11B Raven).

To be able to successfully validate the design of the UAV, various resources are needed.

The biggest resource required to validate the design of the UAV is a wind tunnel or open airfield

to allow extended flights.

Mission Critical Targets and Metrics.

Generating lift is a critical aspect of an aircraft, without lift an aircraft is just a ground

vehicle. The target for lift was achieved by basing the aircraft mass of the RQ-11B and

converting it to weight. The lift force generated then must be equal to the weight to hover, or

greater than to increase altitude. To test this target, the weight of our drone, along with its airfoil

profile, and estimated velocity will be used to calculate the lift force. Once initial testing is

finished the UAV can be tested in a wind tunnel to confirm results.

The coupled payload function corresponds to the characteristics of the payload. The

metric defined as the payload’s mass is the primary characteristic of the payload the team will be

looking at. The target of greater than 160 grams was based on the M2-D Stabilized EO-IR FLIR

UAV Drone unmanned thermal Camera Gimbal. This camera and gimbal fulfill the team’s

expectations of camera imaging and stabilization. Its weight is 160 grams. The designed UAV

Team 518 xxi

2020
should be able to take off with the camera attached. The camera will be represented using a 3-D

printed shell of the same dimensions as the camera. The print will also be hollow. This will allow

mass to be added to the print in order to replicate and test any payload mass the team desires.

The mass of the payload will be tested using a scale in which the payload will be weighed. The

target of less than 200 grams was determined by the team in order to keep the gross weight of the

UAV down. This was to optimize flight time.

The target for this drone is to have increased endurance. This is done by increasing the

flight time while airborne to be greater than or equal to 60 minutes. The team arrived at this

target and metric by discussing some of the customer needs and our expectations of the UAV

when compared to the RQ-11B Raven’s flight time. One of the customer needs that match this

target is to have surveillance, allowing for 60 minutes or greater would allow the user to gather

enough data of the surrounding environment. The way that this target will be met is by

researching into different components and weight factors that will lead to power savings. This

target will then be validated by performing time tests while the UAV and its components are

operational. As the UAV flies, a stopwatch will be used to determine the flight time of the UAV.

The stopwatch will be started when the UAV leaves the hand of the operator and will be stopped

when the UAV ceases to fly. If the recorded time is greater than or equal to 60 minutes, the

team’s target will be met. If this target is not met, adjustments to the drone will be made in order

to increase this time.

The total weight of the UAV, including payload, is termed the gross weight. This target is

critical to the success of this project as our objective is to develop a lightweight UAV. We must

develop a UAV that has less mass than the RQ-11B for our project to be considered lightweight.

Team 518 xxii

2020
We will test this target by weighing the drone with all components to get a final gross weight

value and compare it to the mass of the RQ-11B.

1.5 Concept Generation

Concept generation allows for the team to produce as many possible designs that support the

purpose of the project. The concept generation process that we used for this project consisted of

morphological charts and a crap shoot. A morphological chart takes different aspects of a

product and produces all possible combinations, resulting in many concepts. However, the

concepts generally are quite similar and selecting the best ones can be time consuming. So, we

broke the morphological process down into two separate parts, the physical design of the UAVs

body and the combination of hardware. This reduced the number of concepts but increased the

significance allowing for the best concepts to surface. The hardware configuration matrix was

created, but not fully evaluated for concepts as there is lots of information, data, and risk factors

that must be addressed. And for the sake of our project, determining a body configuration at this

stage is paramount to the specific hardware methods. Our morphological charts are shown in

tables 5 and 6 below.

Table 5
UAV Morphological Chart for Body Configuration

Wing Location Empennage Fuselage Payload Location

Low Wing T Tail Elongated Outboard of fuselage

Mid Wing H Tail Underwing Inboard of fuselage

High Wing V Tail Protruding from fuselage

Fuselage Mount

Team 518 xxiii

2020
Table 6
UAV Morphological Chart for Hardware Configuration

Thrust Motors Battery Types Transmitter Software

Induction Lithium Radio Frequency C++

Brushless Aluminum-ion Bluetooth C

Combustion Lead-acid Wi-fi Java

DC Shunt Zinc Ion Battery Satellite Python

Series Solar

Compound

The morphological process provided plenty of ideas for us to continue with the project,

however limiting ourselves to such a structured method could limit our design. Thus, we also

used the crap shoot to allow the teams creativity and knowledge to produce concepts that contain

far-fetched and imaginative characteristics. The crap shoot consisted of team members producing

thoughts and writing them in a list, which is in Appendix D. Another method used was forced

analogy. This method consists of team members thinking of two different words. These words

are then forced together and used to find a conceptual solution to the problem. This method

generally leads to very creative yet unrealistic concepts that will likely not be used but hold some

aspects of usefulness, like those created using the crap shoot method. The concepts from the

forced analogy are in Appendix D. Figure # shows the combinations for the 8 selected concepts,

where the solid lines follow combinations of high fidelity concepts and dotted lines follow

medium fidelity concepts.

Team 518 xxiv

2020
Figure 2. Concept paths from body configuration morphological chart.
The concepts listed below are the resulting high and medium fidelity concepts from the

generation process, where concepts 1 through 3 are high fidelity and 4 through 8 are medium

fidelity.

Concept 1.

This concept consists of a high wing design centered over an elongated fuselage

with the payload completely inside and a V configured empennage. The high wing design

has the benefits of increased stability during flight. With the center of gravity of the UAV

being below the wing a greater moment will result assisting in keeping the UAV upright

during flight. The elongated fuselage will help to reduce the drag produced by the body.

Making the design more streamline will allow air to smoothly flow around the body

without any abrupt direction changes and reduce resulting force, especially at the front of

the fuselage. Moving the payload to inside of the fuselage will keep it from influencing

aerodynamics, however a clear portion of the body must be added to allow for visibility.

Due to the application, the payload will only need to look below the horizontal plane, and

pan about 135 degrees either direction from its heading. This viewing range makes the

Team 518 xxv

2020
implementation of the clear body panel much easier to integrate. The V shaped

empennage reduces a bit of weight on its own as its attached directly to the fuselage.

Drag forces and radar recognition are also reduced due to the angle and shape of the tail

fins, making it an ideal configuration for the surveillance application.

Inboard
Payload

Elongated
Fuselage

High wing

V Tail

Figure 3. High wing, elongated fuselage, with inboard payload.

Concept 2.

The configuration of this UAV concept is very similar to concept 1. above, but the

payload is now located in a protruding position within the fuselage. The payload is placed

about halfway inside the fuselage, with only the camera portion of the payload located

outside. By placing the payload in such a location, the limitation of viewing can either be

completely resolved or the need to develop an additional clear window is removed. By

removing the clear window additional weight savings are gained, further reducing the

Team 518 xxvi

2020
required lift force for flight. The aerodynamic forces are influenced by the protruding

camera, but this combination with the elongated fuselage will keep drag to a minimum

High wing

Protruding V Tail
Elongated
Payload
Fuselage

and surveillance capabilities high.

Figure 4. High wing, elongated fuselage, protruding payload.

Concept 3.

A mid wing configuration reduces the stability of the UAV slightly due to its

location being closer to the center of gravity. However, attaching the wings to the

fuselage allows for a section of wing that would be above the fuselage to be removed,

reducing weight. Combining this weight reduction with the reduced drag from the

elongated fuselage shape and V empennage configuration reduces the required lift force

and velocity need for the UAV to maintain flight. This weight and force reduction allow

for another cycle of the light-weighting process by reducing the motor until optimal

parameters of lift are achieved.

Team 518 xxvii

2020
 Inboard
Payload

Elongated
Fuselage
V Tail

Mid Wing

Figure 5. High wing, elongated fuselage, protruding payload.

Concept 4.

Utilizing a mid-wing configuration with an elongated fuselage and V tail

empennage results in weight and drag reduction. The protruding payload will add small

amounts of drag force but reduce weight by not requiring a window to be developed. This

allows for increased surveillance visibility as the camera is not obstructed or as limited in

its viewing range.

Team 518 xxviii

2020
Figure 6. Mid wing, elongated fuselage, protruding camera.

Concept 5.

The underwing fuselage has increased drag properties as the components must be

located within a tighter space. The center of gravity will be lower, increasing the stability

of the UAV in flight however, the cross-sectional area of the fuselage will be larger to

accompany the payload being located inside. This poses the problem of increased drag

and decreased visibility, but improved stability and reduced weight from removing the

middle wing section.

Team 518 xxix

2020
Figure 7. Mid wing, underwing fuselage, inboard payload.
Concept 6.

Having the payload of the UAV located in a protruding location so that only the

camera is outside of the fuselage. This will increase the visibility of the payload while

introducing small amounts of drag. The combination of the protruding payload and

underwing fuselage makes the drone better for surveillance but reduces its possibilities

for efficiency.

Team 518 xxx

2020
Figure 8. Mid wing, underwing fuselage, protruding payload.
Concept 7.

With the high wing design and underwing fuselage that has a lower center of

gravity this design is very stable in flight. The inboard payload keeps drag to a minimum

for the fuselage design but requires it to be larger to encompass the camera. There can

also be the increased weight due to a window required to allow for payload visibility.

Thus, drag is kept at a minimum but surveillance capabilities and efficiency are hindered.

Team 518 xxxi

2020
Figure 9. High wing, underwing fuselage, inboard payload.
Concept 8.

The combination of the underwing fuselage and a protruding payload combine to

produce the highest drag force out of the fidelity concepts. Also, with the high wing

design some weight can be added as another section of wing may be required. However,

the design is extremely stable in flight with visibility for surveillance and only having the

reduction in efficiency.

Figure 10. High wing, underwing fuselage, protruding payload.

Team 518 xxxii

2020
1.6 Concept Selection

The concept selection process consists of the implementation of multiple concept

selection methods to determine the best concept for the project. The major methods that were

performed during our selection process were the house of quality, Pugh charts, and analytical

hierarchy techniques. Each process takes in the top concepts and makes a comparison to

determine how the concept achieves the goals of the project. These processes provide us with

data about each concept, making the selection process much easier to comprehend and the

differences between concepts easier to understand.

House of Quality.

The house of quality is a weighted matrix that utilizes the customer needs and correlates

them to engineering characteristics that can be measured for each concept. The goal of the house

of quality is to select the vital engineering characteristics that correlate to the projects purpose

and compare the top concepts against them. This is a crucial step in the concept selection process

as the selected characteristics are used for both the Pugh charts and the analytical hierarchy

Process. Our house of quality for our concept selection is shown in Figure 11.

Team 518 xxxiii

2020
Figure 11. House of quality with highlighted top engineering characteristics.

Our house of quality consisted of 15 engineering characteristics in total and from the

weighted comparison we chose the top 6 characteristics. These characteristics embody the main

goals of our project, those being weight, size, and flight endurance. Specifically, the top

engineering characteristics were empty weight, payload weight, wingspan, endurance, length,

and drag coefficient.

Team 518 xxxiv

2020
 Pugh Charts.

The Pugh chart is a comparison of the top concepts to the project datum by evaluating the

6 selected engineering characteristics from the house of quality. The initial datum is a current

product that achieves a large part of project’s purpose. The concepts are compared to the datum

individually, looking at each selection criteria as a characteristic of the design. The Pugh chart

process is then repeated utilizing one of the well-rounded concepts as the new datum. This

process helps to narrow down the top concepts, but more importantly it allows for the generated

concepts to be weighed against a current market item to ensure the projects purpose will be

fulfilled. The first iteration of the Pugh Chart, found in table 7, used the Raven RQ-11B as its

Datum. The concepts in the table 7 were then compared to the Raven using the selection criteria.

The second Pugh chart iteration using concept 3 as the datum is in table 8. For simplicity the

concepts are described using abbreviations under their number, where HW refers to high wing,

MW refers to mid wing, VT refers to v tail empennage, EF refers to elongated fuselage, UW

refers to underwing fuselage, IP refers to inboard payload, and PP refers to protruding payload.

Team 518 xxxv

2020
 Table 7
Pugh Chart Iteration One Against RQ-11B Raven

Datum Concepts

Selection RQ-11B 1 2 3 4 5
Criteria Raven HW-VT-EF-IP HW-VT-EF-PP MW-VT-EF-IP MW-VT-EF-PP MW-VT-UW-IP
Empty Weight + + + + +
Endurance S S - - -
Wingspan + + S S -
Datum

Length - + - - +
Payload Weight + S + + +
Drag coefficient - - + S S
# of pluses 3 3 3 2 3
# of minuses 2 1 2 2 2

Table 8
Pugh Chart Iteration Two Against Concept 3

Datum Concepts
Concept 3 1 2 4 5
Selection Criteria MW-VT-EF-IP HW-VT-EF-IP HW-VT-EF-PP MW-VT-EF-PP MW-VT-UW-IP
Empty Weight S S S +
Endurance + + S S
Wingspan + + S S
Datum

Length S + + +
Payload Weight S + + S
Drag coefficient + + + -
# of pluses 3 5 3 2
# of minuses 1 0 0 1

Team 518 xxxvi

2020
 From the second iteration of the concepts shown in table 8, the winning concept is

number 2. Concept number 2 is a UAV with high wing placement, an elongated fuselage with a

protruding payload, and a V tail empennage. This concept came out better than the original

datum of the RQ-11B Raven in the first iteration of the Pugh chart, having the most positive

contributions and the fewest negatives compared to the other concepts. The second iteration

compared the concepts against each other, with the datum being concept 3 as it was a balanced

concept. After comparing the concepts against each other, the second concept came out with the

most positive contribution to the purpose and having no negative effects. This supports the

team’s thoughts on the concepts, as we expected a high wing design to be the best as the stability

is important for quality surveillance.

Analytical Hierarchy Process.

The analytical hierarchy process compares the selection criteria, the top engineering

characteristics from the house of quality, against themselves to determine their respective weight

for the top concepts. This process begins with a matrix comparing the criteria on an exaggerated

scale. This matrix is then normalized and the individual criteria weights are calculated. Utilizing

the criteria weights the consistency of each criteria is checked and a final consistency is

calculated to ensure the ratings in the matrix are not biased. The analytical hierarchy process is

calculated for all the selection criteria, then this process is repeated for each individual criterion.

During the individual criteria analytical hierarchies, the concepts are compared against one

another for each criterion. Then a final rating matrix is created with the weights of the top

concepts for all the criteria. Using this rating matrix and the concept weights an alternative

weight value for each concept is created. This alternative value resembles the placing of the

Team 518 xxxvii

2020
concept, where a higher alternative value means a better concept. Our analytical hierarchy

process for the selection criteria is shown in tables 9 through 12. Again, for simplicity the

concepts are described using abbreviations, where HW refers to high wing, MW refers to mid

wing, VT refers to v tail empennage, EF refers to elongated fuselage, IP refers to inboard

payload, and PP refers to protruding payload.

Table 9
[C] Matrix for All Selection Criteria

Drag coefficient
Payload Weight
Empty Weight

Endurance

Wingspan

Length
Empty Weight 1.000 7.000 5.000 5.000 3.000 7.000

Endurance 0.143 1.000 3.000 5.000 0.333 3.000

Wingspan 0.200 0.333 1.000 3.000 0.333 3.000

Length 0.200 0.200 0.333 1.000 0.111 0.333

Payload Weight 0.333 3.000 3.000 9.000 1.000 5.000

Drag coefficient 0.143 0.333 0.333 3.000 0.200 1.000

Sum 2.019 11.867 12.667 26.000 4.978 19.333

Team 518 xxxviii

2020
Table 10
Normalized [C] Matrix for All Selection Criteria

Criteria Weights
Drag coefficient
Payload Weight
Empty Weight

Endurance

Wingspan

Length

{W}
Empty Weight 0.495 0.590 0.395 0.192 0.603 0.362 0.439

Endurance 0.071 0.084 0.237 0.192 0.067 0.155 0.134

Wingspan 0.099 0.028 0.079 0.115 0.067 0.155 0.091

Length 0.099 0.017 0.026 0.038 0.022 0.017 0.037

Payload Weight 0.165 0.253 0.237 0.346 0.201 0.259 0.243

Drag coefficient 0.071 0.028 0.026 0.115 0.040 0.052 0.055

Sum 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Table 11
Consistency Check for All Criteria

{Ws} = [C]{W} {W} Cons = {Ws}./{W}

Weighted Sum Vector Criteria Weights Consistency Vector
3.135 0.439 7.133

0.900 0.134 6.696

0.581 0.091 6.410

0.227 0.037 6.189

1.672 0.243 6.870

0.352 0.055 6.353

Team 518 xxxix

2020
Table 12
Checking Consistency and Bias

Average Consistency Consistency Consistency Is Comparison Consistent

Index Ratio
6.609 0.122 0.097 Yes

From this criteria comparison we can determine the criteria that have the most

importance when evaluating the concepts. The three most important criteria being the empty

weight, payload weight, and endurance. This analytical hierarchy process was then repeated for

each of our selection criteria. The tables documenting this process for each individual criterion

are in Appendix E. The final rating matrix and alternative weight values are shown in tables 13

and 14.

Table 13
Final Rating Matrix

  HW-VT-EF-IP HW-VT-EF-PP MW-VT-EF-IP MW-VT-EF-PP

Concept 1 Concept 2 Concept 3 Concept 4

Empty Weight 0.130 0.224 0.161 0.484

Endurance 0.300 0.499 0.095 0.106

Wingspan 0.395 0.395 0.092 0.118

Length 0.129 0.388 0.179 0.304

Payload Weight 0.159 0.501 0.077 0.263

Drag coefficient 0.283 0.122 0.473 0.122

Team 518 xl

2020
Table 14
Concepts Alterative Values

Concept Alternative Value

HW-VT-EF-IP 0.233
Concept 1
HW-VT-EF-PP 0.355
Concept 2

MW-VT-EF-IP 0.180
Concept 3

MW-VT-EF-PP 0.233
Concept 4

The alternative values are calculated using the final rating matrix and the criteria weights

from their individual analytical hierarchies. The alternative values show the ranking of the

concepts compared to one another. The highest-ranking concept from the alternative values is

concept 2 with a 0.355 ranking. This conclusion matches that from the Pugh charts, helping to

conclude that concept 2 is the best for our project as it was the resulting concept out of two

selection methods.

Selected Concept.

The concept that has been selected from the previous processes is the high wing

placement, elongated fuselage with protruding payload, and a V tail empennage. This concept

has been chosen because it will provide the best possible results for reducing the UAV’s weight

while keeping or improving its flight endurance and providing great stability for surveillance.

These aspects embody the entire objective of our project and being able to have multiple

Team 518 xli

2020
selection processes show that this concept is the best reassures that we have taken the correct

approach in our research and ideas thus far.

Team 518 xlii

2020
 Appendices

Team 518 xliii

2020
 Appendix A: Code of Conduct

FAMU/FSU College of Engineering

Department of Electrical, Computer, and Mechanical Engineering

Code of Conduct

Team # 518         Northrop Grumman - Lightweight UAV

Names:    Last         First            Major

        Richman     Brenden        ME   

        Cooley    Clayton        ME

        Jacobs    Taylor        ME

        Thervil    Brian            ECE

        Noay        Zachary        ECE

Date:     January 10, 2020

Team 518 xliv

2020
 Mission Statement

Team 518 is committed to ensuring a positive work environment that supports

professionalism, integrity, respect, and trust. Every member of this team will contribute a full

effort to the creation and maintenance of such an environment in order to bring out the best in all

of us as well as this project. 

Roles 

Each team member is delegated a specific role based on their experience and skill sets

and is responsible for all here-within: 

Project Manager – Clayton Cooley

Manages the team as a whole; develops a plan and timeline for the project, delegates

tasks among group members according to their skill sets; finalizes all documents and provides

input on other positions where needed. The project manager is responsible for promoting synergy

and increased teamwork.  If a problem arises, the team leader will act in the best interest of the

project.

He keeps the communication flowing, both between team members and Sponsor.  The

project manager takes the lead in organizing, planning, and setting up of meetings.  In addition,

he is responsible for keeping a record of all correspondence between the group and ‘minutes’ for

the meetings. Finally he gives or facilitates presentations by individual team members and is

responsible for overall project plans and progress

Team 518 xlv

2020
 Team members:

Financial Advisor - Brenden Richman

Manages the budget and maintains a record of all credits and debits to project account. 

Any product or expenditure requests must be presented to the advisor, whom is then responsible

for reviewing and the analysis of equivalent/alternate solutions.  They then relay the information

to the team and if the request is granted, order the selection. A record of these analyses and

budget adjustments must be kept.

Flight Dynamics Engineer - Taylor Jacobs

Responsible for the dynamics behind the performance and control of the vehicle during

flight. Determines the necessary forces to keep vehicle stable and in flight. Relays necessary

information and equations to CAD and Software engineers.

CAD/Materials Engineer - Brenden Richman

Responsible for the optimization of material usage in the project and implementation of

design specifications into CAD software.

Test Engineer - Clayton Cooley

Tasked with establishing a test environment and developing several test scenarios for

collecting data and ensuring every aspect of the device is working correctly. Determines any

errors and changes design test plans accordingly.

Software Engineer / Systems Integration Engineer - Brian Thervil

Responsible for designing, programming, and testing code that will be used for

microcontroller. In addition, will be tasked with integrating mechanical and electrical systems

Team 518 xlvi

2020
together and ensuring that the electrical components are supplied with the required power

according to system specifications.

Embedded Systems - Zachary Noay

    Responsible for research, design, develop, test, and troubleshoot of embedded

systems. 

Subtasks

    Tasks will continually be assigned as assignments/work accumulates in the project.

Assignments for who is to carry out any other duties will be determined by the team based on the

current workload of each member. At one time, three of the five group members will work on

class required assignments while the other two members would be delegated to other duties.

All Team Members:

- Work on certain tasks of the project

- Buys into the project goals and success

- Delivers on commitments

- Adopt team spirit

- Listen and contribute constructively (feedback)

- Be effective in trying to get messages across

- Be open minded to others ideas

- Respect others roles and ideas 

- Be ambassador to the outside world in own tasks

Team 518 xlvii

2020
 Communication 

The main form of communication will be over the phone and text-messaging among the

group, preferably phone as well as through regular meetings of the whole team. Members must

respond to any sent messages within 24 hours of the message being sent. Email will be a

secondary form of communication for issues not being time-sensitive. For the passing of

information, i.e. files and presentations, email will be the main form of file transfer and

proliferation.

Each group member must have a working email for the purposes of communication and

file transference. Members must check their emails at least twice a day to check for important

information and updates from the group. Although members will be initially informed via a

phone call, meeting dates and pertinent information from the sponsor will additionally be sent

over email so it is very important that each group member checks their email frequently. 

If a meeting must be canceled, an email must be sent to the group at least 24 hours in

advance.

Any team member that cannot attend a meeting must give advance notice of 24 hours

informing the group of his absence. Reason for absence will be appreciated but not required if

personal. Repeated absences without informant within 24 hours is in violation with this

agreement and will not be tolerated.

Team Dynamics 

The students will work as a team while allowing one another to feel free to make any

suggestions or constructive criticisms without fear of being ridiculed and/or embarrassed. If any

member on this team finds a task to be too difficult it is expected that the member should ask for

Team 518 xlviii

2020
help from the other teammates or colleagues. If any member of the team feels they are not being

respected or taken seriously, that member must bring it to the attention of the team in order for

the issue to be resolved. We shall NOT let emotions dictate our actions. Everything is done for

the benefit of the project.

Attendance 

Team members are expected to attend all team, advisor, and sponsor meetings. 

Emergencies regarding medical, transportation, or class would be excused. Possible absences

will be communicated to the rest of the team as soon as they are realized. All team members are

expected to arrive to meetings at least 5 minutes early. Possible tardiness will be communicated

to the rest of the team as soon as they are realized. Three unexcused absences or failure to

comply with the listed attendance policy will result in advisor notification.

Ethics

    Team members are required to be familiar with the NSPE Engineering Code of ethics

as they are responsible for their obligations to the public, the client, the employer, and the

profession.  There will be stringent following of the NSPE Engineering Code of Ethics.

Dress Code

    Team meetings will be held in casual attire.  Group presentations attire will include a

black polo and khaki pants, unless discussed otherwise by the group per event.

Sponsor/Professional interactions attire include a suit and a tie with black or grey pants, unless

discussed otherwise by the group per event.  

Weekly and biweekly Tasks 

Team 518 xlix

2020
 Team members will participate in meetings with the sponsor, adviser and instructor.

During said times ideas, project progress, budget, conflicts, timelines and due dates will be

discussed.  In addition, tasks will be delegated to team members during these meetings. Repeat

absences will not be tolerated.

Decision Making 

 It is conducted by consensus and majority of the team members. Should ethical/moral

reasons be cited for dissenting reason, then the ethics/morals shall be evaluated as a group and

the majority will decide on the plan of action. Individuals with conflicts of interest should not

participate in decision-making processes but do not need to announce said conflict. It is up to

each individual to act ethically and for the interests of the group and the goals of the project.

Achieving the goal of the project will be a top priority for each group member.  Below is an

optional guideline of steps to be followed for each decision-making process: 

 Problem Definition – Define the problem and understand it. Discuss among the

group.

 Tentative Solutions – Brainstorms possible solutions. Discuss among group most

plausible.

 Data/History Gathering and Analyses – Gather necessary data required for implementing

Tentative Solution. Re-evaluate Tentative Solution for plausibility and effectiveness. 

 Design – Design the Tentative Solution product and construct it. Re-evaluate for

plausibility and effectiveness.

 Test and Simulation/Observation – Test design for Tentative Solution and gather data.

Re-evaluate for plausibility and effectiveness.

Team 518 l

2020
  Final Evaluation – Evaluate the testing phase and determine its level of success. Decide if

design can be improved and if time/budget allows for it.

Conflict Resolution 

In the event of discord amongst team members the following steps shall be respectfully

employed:

 Communication of points of interest from both parties which may include demonstration

of active listening by both parties through paraphrasing or other tool acknowledging clear

understanding

 Administration of a vote, if needed, favoring majority rule

 Flip a Coin

 Team Leader intervention

 Instructor will facilitate the resolution of conflicts

Team 518 li

2020
 Statement of Understanding

    By signing this document the members of team 518 agree to all the above and will

abide by the code of conduct set forth by the group

Team 518 lii

2020
 Appendix B: Functional Decomposition

UAV

Communication Flight Surveillance Support

Send
Accelerate Power Payload Generates Lift
Commands

Houses
Recieve Data Decelerate Record Data
Hardware

Adjust Roll,
Orient Payload Couples Payload
Pitch, Yaw

Figure 12. Functional decomposition of necessary drone actions.

Team 518 53

2020
 Appendix C: Targets and Metrics

Table 15
Complete Targets and Metrics

Function Metric Target

Send Commands Range 10 kilometers

Receive Data Range 10 kilometers

Accelerate Thrust source increases Thrust source > 50%

Decelerate Thrust source decreases Thrust source < 50%

Adjust Roll, Pitch, Yaw Articulate ailerons, elevators, -45°<=Ailerons <=45°

and rudders -45°<=Elevators<=45°

-45°<=Rudder <= 45°

Power Payload Delivers power to payload Voltage > 2.0 V

and components

Record Data Video Quality Resolution >=480p

Orient Payload Range of angle orientation 360 degrees

*Generate Lift *Airfoil produces greater lift *Lift >=18.68 Newtons

force than gross weight

House Hardware Volume <=0.30 m3

*Couple Payload *Payload mass *>=160 g

*<=200 g

*Endure *Time while airborne *>=60 minutes

Carry by Backpack Stored Drone Dimensions Stored Width <= 0.762 m

Team 518 54

2020
 Stored Length <=0.508 m

Cruising Speed of UAV >=30 km/hour

Take off procedure Hand Take off

Cruising altitude >=152.4 m

*Gross mass *<=1.905 kg

Operation altitude >= 100 ft

<= 500 ft

Speed Speedometer >31 km/h

<81 km/h

Communication (RF Chip) Frequency band 5GHz Band

Vibrational Sensor Gyro for the drone Digital Resolution: 10bit

Micro-USB adapter Communication between UART Communication

programmer

Battery Powers the drone >= 850mA 4s 120c

Stores Data Volume of Data Stores 128kB data

Resistors Size Package Type <= 603

Capacitor Size Package Type <= 603

Control Motor Variable Resistor Slide Variable Resistor

Control Wings Variable Resistor Slide Variable Resistor

Team 518 55

2020
 Appendix D: Concept Generation

Morphological Charts

Table 16
UAV Morphological Chart for Body Configuration

Wing Location Empennage Fuselage Payload Location

Low Wing T Tail Elongated Outboard of fuselage

Mid Wing H Tail Underwing Inboard of fuselage

High Wing V Tail Protruding from fuselage

Fuselage Mount

Table 17
UAV Morphological Chart for Hardware Configuration

Thrust Motors Battery Types Transmitter Software

Induction Lithium Radio Frequency C++

Brushless Aluminum-ion Bluetooth C

Combustion Lead-acid Wi-fi Java

DC Shunt Zinc Ion Battery Satellite Python

Series Solar

Compound

Team 518 56

2020
Crap Shoot

1. Elevators removed, UAV will roll 180 degrees if the elevation must be changed

at the same velocity, otherwise it will decrease velocity. This allows motors and

components to be removed to save weight.

2. UAV is foldable and can be carried like a backpack and then deployed by using

foldable wings.

3. The battery life and estimated remaining flight time of the UAV based on battery

consumption is constantly visible to the user through use of an LED interface on

the remote, assisting the user in efficient flight.

4. UAV adjusts its orientation during a flight without user input using a gyroscope to

read angle rates allowing for maximum efficiency when flying.

5. The UAV can hot-swap payloads so different cameras can be quickly added and

removed.

6. UAV senses barometric pressure along with other parameters to predict future

weather conditions and reports back to the user for optimal flying trajectory.

7. When the UAV’s battery capacity is only capable of returning to its starting

position, it will do so automatically to prevent damage and loss.

8. UAV wings are replaceable with surrounding objects, such as paper, plastic, and

magazine clips.

9. UAV orients itself to utilize wind streams to increase lift force from its wings to

keep power consumption to a minimum.

10. UAV can enter an autonomous mode to save power.

Team 518 57

2020
11. Drone is powered by wind generators

12. UAV has vents to cool down onboard electronics allowing for optimal battery

efficiency.

13. Drone can track friendly vehicles and use their draft to reduce wind resistance.

14. Drone is powered by heat radiation from organisms.

15. Ability to harvest power from other drones.

16. Drone has different modules for wings so they can be carried in a separate bag

and easily swapped for optimal flight condition.

17. Camera is turned off when not in use to save power.

18. Can be charged while flying through electromagnetic induction from a larger

drone.

19. UAV can be charged through electromagnetic induction when landing on a

friendly vehicle.

20. Drone uses the same aerodynamics of Santa reindeer.

21. Drone contains an onboard radar system for detecting power sources for mid-

flight charging.

22. Drone body mimics that of a bat to allow for better flight.

23. Drone has solar panels on wings to greatly increase its battery life.

24. Drone can transform in midair from a fixed wing UAV to a quadcopter for

increasing flight height for gliding rather than using power for motor.

25. UAV is a hybrid that can operate as a quadcopter or fixed wing UAV depending

on what the application is to conserve power.

Team 518 58

2020
 26. UAV is able to deploy a parachute for soft landing to save power normally

diverted to motors for landing.

27. UAV thrust is generated by a wind-up motor

28. UAV is made from southeast Asian rainforest bamboo to save weight.

29. UAV can fly with no communication between the user and the drone.

30. UAV has a power saving mode that operates all components at their lowest

possible power draw to increase flight time.

31. UAV can be powered by bullet shots.

32. UAV can be charged from lighting strikes.

33. Motor is separate from the embedded systems to save power.

34. Drone can be powered from trash, like in back to the future.

35. Drone uses the electric discharges in clouds.

36. Drones structure can be made from rods and sticks to reduce weight.

37. Drone uses a similar material to vibranium as a power source.

38. Drone motor uses hydrogen power to operate.

39. Wings of the UAV will be hollow to decrease weight.

Forced Analogy

1. Controls are drastically simplified to increase battery life.

2. Wingspan and fuselage are minimized in size and complexity using increased

durability materials to save weight.

3. UAV body is made of paper to decrease weight.

Team 518 59

2020
4. UAV has decreased modularity of components and increased component life to

save weight.

5. Wireless charging to the UAV during a flight via radioactive charging.

6. UAV has low density components to decrease overall weight.

7. UAV uses recycled materials for the body to save on overall cost allowing for

more efficient system components to be used.

8. UAV is fully sealed to reduce drag and withstand high intensity weather

conditions.

9. Wings of UAV are molded from candy and the fuselage is composed of candy

wrappers to save weight.

10. Entire electrical system of UAV is comprised of a smart phone to save weight.

11. UAV is powered directly by solar panels to negate the need for a battery.

Team 518 60

2020
 Appendix E: Concept Selection

Pairwise Comparison

Table 18
Pairwise Comparison for Customer Needs

greater than reference UAV

Operates in U.S. climate

Drone's scale is equal or

UAV is user controlled

3D printing utilized for

Drone operates in light

adequate surveillance
Flight time is equal or
than reference UAV
Gross weight lighter

less than reference

Drone provides
storm weather

construction

Total
range
Gross weight lighter than - 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2
reference UAV
Drone operates in light 1 - 1 1 1 0 1 1 6
storm weather
Flight time is equal or
greater than reference 1 0 - 0 1 0 1 1 4
UAV
Drone's scale is equal or 1 0 1 - 1 0 1 0 4
less than reference

UAV is user controlled 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0

Operates in U.S. climate 1 1 1 1 1 - 1 0 6

range
Drone provides 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 0 1
adequate surveillance
3D printing utilized for 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 - 5
construction

Total 5 1 3 3 7 1 6 2 -

Team 518 61

2020
House of Quality

Figure 13. House of Quality

Team 518 62

2020
 Pugh Charts

Table 19
Pugh Chart Iteration One

Datum Concepts

Selection RQ-11B 1 2 3 4 5
Criteria Raven HW-VT-EF-IP HW-VT-EF-PP MW-VT-EF-IP MW-VT-EF-PP MW-VT-UW-IP
Empty Weight + + + + +
Endurance S S - - -
Wingspan + + S S -
Datum

Length - + - - +
Payload Weight + S + + +
Drag coefficient - - + S S
# of pluses 3 3 3 2 3
# of minuses 2 1 2 2 2

Table 20
Pugh Chart Iteration Two

Datum Concepts
Concept 3 1 2 4 5
Selection Criteria MW-VT-EF-IP HW-VT-EF-IP HW-VT-EF-PP MW-VT-EF-PP MW-VT-UW-IP
Empty Weight S S S +
Endurance + + S S
Wingspan + + S S
Datum

Length S + + +
Payload Weight S + + S
Drag coefficient + + + -
# of pluses 3 5 3 2
# of minuses 1 0 0 1

Team 518 63

2020
Analytical Hierarchy Process

Table 21
[C] Matrix for All Criteria

Drag coefficient
Payload Weight
Empty Weight

Endurance

Wingspan

Length
Empty Weight 1.000 7.000 5.000 5.000 3.000 7.000

Endurance 0.143 1.000 3.000 5.000 0.333 3.000

Wingspan 0.200 0.333 1.000 3.000 0.333 3.000

Length 0.200 0.200 0.333 1.000 0.111 0.333

Payload Weight 0.333 3.000 3.000 9.000 1.000 5.000

Drag coefficient 0.143 0.333 0.333 3.000 0.200 1.000

Sum 2.019 11.867 12.667 26.000 4.978 19.333

Team 518 64

2020
Table 22
Normalized [C] Matrix

Criteria Weights
Drag coefficient
Payload Weight
Empty Weight

Endurance

Wingspan

Length

{W}
Empty Weight 0.495 0.590 0.395 0.192 0.603 0.362 0.439

Endurance 0.071 0.084 0.237 0.192 0.067 0.155 0.134

Wingspan 0.099 0.028 0.079 0.115 0.067 0.155 0.091

Length 0.099 0.017 0.026 0.038 0.022 0.017 0.037

Payload Weight 0.165 0.253 0.237 0.346 0.201 0.259 0.243

Drag coefficient 0.071 0.028 0.026 0.115 0.040 0.052 0.055

Sum 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Table 23
All Criteria Consistency Check

{Ws} = [C]{W} {W} Cons = {Ws}./{W}

Weighted Sum Vector Criteria Weights Consistency Vector
3.135 0.439 7.133

0.900 0.134 6.696

0.581 0.091 6.410

0.227 0.037 6.189

1.672 0.243 6.870

0.352 0.055 6.353

Team 518 65

2020
Table 24
Consistency and Bias Check

Average Consistency Consistency Consistency Is Comparison Consistent

Index Ratio
6.609 0.122 0.097 Yes

Team 518 66

2020
Empty Weight.

Table 25
Empty Weight [C] Matrix

MW-VT-EF-PP
HW-VT-EF-PP

MW-VT-EF-IP
HW-VT-EF-IP
HW-VT-EF-IP 1.000 0.333 1.000 0.333

HW-VT-EF-PP 3.000 1.000 1.000 0.333

MW-VT-EF-IP 1.000 1.000 1.000 0.333

MW-VT-EF-PP 3.000 3.000 3.000 1.000

Sum 8.000 5.333 6.000 2.000

Table 26
Normalized Empty Weight [C]
Criteria Weights
MW-VT-EF-PP
HW-VT-EF-PP

MW-VT-EF-IP
HW-VT-EF-IP

{W}

Team 518 67

2020
 HW-VT-EF-IP 0.125 0.063 0.167 0.167 0.130

HW-VT-EF-PP 0.375 0.188 0.167 0.167 0.224

MW-VT-EF-IP 0.125 0.188 0.167 0.167 0.161

MW-VT-EF-PP 0.375 0.563 0.500 0.500 0.484

Sum 1 1 1 1 1

Table 27
Consistency Check for Empty Weight

{Ws} = [C]{W} {W} Cons = {Ws}./{W}

Weighted Sum Vector Criteria Weights Consistency Vector
0.528 0.130 4.053

0.938 0.224 4.186

0.677 0.161 4.194

2.031 0.484 4.194

Endurance.

Table 28
Endurance [C] Matrix
MW-VT-EF-PP
HW-VT-EF-PP

MW-VT-EF-IP
HW-VT-EF-IP

HW-VT-EF-IP 1.000 0.333 3.000 5.000

Team 518 68

2020
 HW-VT-EF-PP 3.000 1.000 5.000 3.000

MW-VT-EF-IP 0.333 0.200 1.000 1.000

MW-VT-EF-PP 0.200 0.333 1.000 1.000

Sum 4.533 1.867 10.000 10.000

Table 29
Normalized Endurance [C] Matrix
Criteria Weights
MW-VT-EF-PP
HW-VT-EF-PP

MW-VT-EF-IP
HW-VT-EF-IP

{W}

Team 518 69

2020
 HW-VT-EF-IP 0.221 0.179 0.300 0.500 0.300

HW-VT-EF-PP 0.662 0.536 0.500 0.300 0.499

MW-VT-EF-IP 0.074 0.107 0.100 0.100 0.095

MW-VT-EF-PP 0.044 0.179 0.100 0.100 0.106

Sum 1 1 1 1 1

Table 30
Consistency Check for Endurance

{Ws} = [C]{W} {W} Cons = {Ws}./{W}

Weighted Sum Vector Criteria Weights Consistency Vector
1.280 0.300 4.270

2.192 0.499 4.389

0.401 0.095 4.210

0.427 0.106 4.043

Wingspan.

Table 31
Wingspan [C] Matrix
MW-VT-EF-PP
HW-VT-EF-PP

MW-VT-EF-IP
HW-VT-EF-IP

HW-VT-EF-IP 1.000 1.000 5.000 3.000

Team 518 70

2020
 HW-VT-EF-PP 1.000 1.000 5.000 3.000

MW-VT-EF-IP 0.200 0.200 1.000 1.000

MW-VT-EF-PP 0.333 0.333 1.000 1.000

Sum 2.533 2.533 12.000 8.000

Table 32
Normalized Wingspan [C]Matrix

Criteria Weights
MW-VT-EF-PP
HW-VT-EF-PP

MW-VT-EF-IP
HW-VT-EF-IP

{W}
HW-VT-EF-IP 0.395 0.395 0.417 0.375 0.395

HW-VT-EF-PP 0.395 0.395 0.417 0.375 0.395

MW-VT-EF-IP 0.079 0.079 0.083 0.125 0.092

MW-VT-EF-PP 0.132 0.132 0.083 0.125 0.118

Sum 1 1 1 1 1

Table 33
Wingspan Consistency Check

{Ws} = [C]{W} {W} Cons = {Ws}./{W}

Weighted Sum Vector Criteria Weights Consistency Vector
1.602 0.395 4.053

Team 518 71

2020
 1.602 0.395 4.053

0.368 0.092 4.014

0.473 0.118 4.012

Length.

Table 34
Length [C] Matrix

MW-VT-EF-PP
HW-VT-EF-PP

MW-VT-EF-IP
HW-VT-EF-IP

HW-VT-EF-IP 1.000 0.333 1.000 0.333

HW-VT-EF-PP 3.000 1.000 3.000 1.000

MW-VT-EF-IP 1.000 0.333 1.000 1.000

MW-VT-EF-PP 3.000 1.000 1.000 1.000

Sum 8.000 2.667 6.000 3.333

Table 35
Normalized Length [C] Matrix
Criteria Weights
MW-VT-EF-PP
HW-VT-EF-PP

MW-VT-EF-IP
HW-VT-EF-IP

{W}

Team 518 72

2020
 HW-VT-EF-IP 0.125 0.125 0.167 0.100 0.129

HW-VT-EF-PP 0.375 0.375 0.500 0.300 0.388

MW-VT-EF-IP 0.125 0.125 0.167 0.300 0.179

MW-VT-EF-PP 0.375 0.375 0.167 0.300 0.304

Sum 1 1 1 1 1

Table 36
Length Consistency Check

{Ws} = [C]{W} {W} Cons = {Ws}./{W}

Weighted Sum Vector Criteria Weights Consistency Vector
0.539 0.129 4.172

1.617 0.388 4.172

0.742 0.179 4.140

1.258 0.304 4.137

Payload Weight.

Table 37
Payload Weight [C] Matrix
MW-VT-EF-PP
HW-VT-EF-PP

MW-VT-EF-IP
HW-VT-EF-IP

HW-VT-EF-IP 1.000 0.333 3.000 0.333

Team 518 73

2020
 HW-VT-EF-PP 3.000 1.000 5.000 3.000

MW-VT-EF-IP 0.333 0.200 1.000 0.333

MW-VT-EF-PP 3.000 0.333 3.000 1.000

Sum 7.333 1.867 12.000 4.667

Table 38
Normalized Payload Weight [C] Matrix

Criteria Weights
MW-VT-EF-PP
HW-VT-EF-PP

MW-VT-EF-IP
HW-VT-EF-IP

{W}
HW-VT-EF-IP 0.136 0.179 0.250 0.071 0.159

HW-VT-EF-PP 0.409 0.536 0.417 0.643 0.501

MW-VT-EF-IP 0.045 0.107 0.083 0.071 0.077

MW-VT-EF-PP 0.409 0.179 0.250 0.214 0.263

Sum 1 1 1 1 1

Table 39
Payload Weight Consistency Check

{Ws} = [C]{W} {W} Cons = {Ws}./{W}

Weighted Sum Vector Criteria Weights Consistency Vector
0.644 0.159 4.050

2.152 0.501 4.294

0.318 0.077 4.135

1.138 0.263 4.326

Team 518 74

2020
Drag Coefficient.

Table 40
Drag Coefficient [C] Matrix

MW-VT-EF-PP
HW-VT-EF-PP

MW-VT-EF-IP
HW-VT-EF-IP

HW-VT-EF-IP 1.000 3.000 0.333 3.000

HW-VT-EF-PP 0.333 1.000 0.333 1.000

MW-VT-EF-IP 3.000 3.000 1.000 3.000

MW-VT-EF-PP 0.333 1.000 0.333 1.000

Sum 4.667 8.000 2.000 8.000

Table 41
Normalized Drag Coefficient [C] Matrix
Criteria Weights
MW-VT-EF-PP
HW-VT-EF-PP

MW-VT-EF-IP
HW-VT-EF-IP

{W}

HW-VT-EF-IP 0.214 0.375 0.167 0.375 0.283

HW-VT-EF-PP 0.071 0.125 0.167 0.125 0.122

Team 518 75

2020
 MW-VT-EF-IP 0.643 0.375 0.500 0.375 0.473

MW-VT-EF-PP 0.071 0.125 0.167 0.125 0.122

Sum 1 1 1 1 1

Table 42
Payload Weight Consistency Check

{Ws} = [C]{W} {W} Cons = {Ws}./{W}

Weighted Sum Vector Criteria Weights Consistency Vector
1.173 0.283 4.147

0.496 0.122 4.065

2.054 0.473 4.340

0.496 0.122 4.065

Criteria Consistency Check.

Table 43
Consistency and Bias Check for All Individual Criteria

Average Consistency Consistency Is Comparison

Consistency Index Ratio Consistent
Empty Weight 4.157 0.052 0.059 Yes
Team 518 76

2020
 Endurance 4.228 0.076 0.085 Yes

Wingspan 4.033 0.011 0.012 Yes

Length 4.155 0.052 0.058 Yes

Payload Weight 4.201 0.067 0.075 Yes

Drag Coefficient 4.154 0.051 0.058 Yes

Final Rating Matrix.

Table 44
Final Rating Matrix

  HW-VT-EF-IP HW-VT-EF-PP MW-VT-EF-IP MW-VT-EF-PP

Concept 1 Concept 2 Concept 3 Concept 4

Empty Weight 0.130 0.224 0.161 0.484

Endurance 0.300 0.499 0.095 0.106

Wingspan 0.395 0.395 0.092 0.118

Length 0.129 0.388 0.179 0.304

Payload Weight 0.159 0.501 0.077 0.263

Drag coefficient 0.283 0.122 0.473 0.122

Alternative Weight.

Table 45
Alternative Weights of Concepts

Concept Alternative Value

Team 518 77

2020
 HW-VT-EF-IP 0.233
Concept 1
HW-VT-EF-PP 0.355
Concept 2

MW-VT-EF-IP 0.180
Concept 3

MW-VT-EF-PP 0.233
Concept 4

References

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards. (2010). D.C., Washington, United States.

Hall, N. (Ed.). (2015, May 05). Thrust to Weight Ratio. Cleveland, Ohio, United States.

M2-D Stabilized EO-IR FLIR UAV Drone unmanned thermal Camera Gimbal. (n.d.). Retrieved

from SPI Infrared: https://www.x20.org/m2-d-stabilized-eo-ir-flir-uav-flir-thermal-

Team 518 78

2020
 camera-gimbal/

Radio Spectrum Allocation. (2019, May 07). Retrieved from Federal Communications

Commission: https://transition.fcc.gov/oet/spectrum/table/fcctable.pdf

U.S. Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap 2010-2035. (n.d.). Fort Rucker, Alabama,

United States.

UAS: RQ-11B Raven. (n.d.). Retrieved from AeroVironment:

https://www.avinc.com/images/uploads/product_docs/Raven_Datasheet_2019_v1.pdf

Team 518 79

2020