AIAA Design/Build/Fly – Distributed Manufacturing

Background

Design, fabricate, and demonstrate the flight capabilities of an unmanned, electric powered, radio controlled aircraft that can best meet the specified mission profile.

Goal and Objectives

This year’s mission is to design an aircraft optimized for distributed manufacturing (Production Aircraft) and an aircraft optimized for moving the production aircraft sub-assemblies from remote manufacturing locations to a centralized assembly location (Manufacturing Aircraft)

Innovation

Molding:
Created lightweight composite fuselage through stitching of Material and epoxy wet lay-up

Improved balsa manufacturing:
Laser cutting
Soaked bending

Packaging: aircraft sizing

Coding: Score analysis
PA and MA optimization

3D Printed tooling
Jigs, molds, mounts

DBF is meant to be a channel for students to apply analytical knowledge taught in class to real life applications. Fluid mechanics, structures of materials, programming, computer-aided design, and more are utilized in the design process of the plane. The project also provides the opportunity for students to learn information usually not taught inside the classroom. This includes extensive composite manufacturing, iterative design processes, aircraft assembly, and documentation. Students are given more hands-on and practical experience, compared to the theoretical and conceptual focus of the engineering curriculum.

The Bigger Picture

Contact

Robert Liebeck
Professor, Advisor
rliebeck@uci.edu

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