I'd like to share a project in which 3DExperience proved to be indispensable.
Competition results
Every year, Wichita State University hosts a UAV design competition sponsored by Boeing. It is primarily for senior students, but anyone can join and this year I decided to participate as a graduate. This year's mission is to fly and maneuver indoors for 2 mins, drop a payload on a target, and land safely. The score is based on a sum of a judged “pretend mission”, 300/build time, and number of target hits throughout the competition, all divided by weight. This is motivation to design a simple yet reliable airplane, that can be built quickly and is maneuverable.
Mr. Bean successfully dropping a bean bag onto the 4x4' target zone. Piloted by the 2021 AMA National Champion for Aerobatic RC Flying
This fun project took 1.5 months of aircraft sizing based on scoring analysis, layout design, iterations following aero + weights + stability analysis, prototyping, and test flights. There are 11 undergraduate teams and 1 professional entry (me). Overall, my design racked up the highest score from being the lightest (0.46 lb), having one of the fastest build times of 58 minutes (zero to fully functioning airplane) and scoring the most target hits (8) of any team (due to its superb handling qualities and speed enabling accurate and reliable drops).
While most of the aerodynamic, performance, and stability analysis was done via hand calculations in Excel, the main design tool to bring it to life is 3Dexperience CATIA. I used a variety of apps such as Part Design, Assembly Design, Generative Shape Design, and Drafting to prepare laser cut, foam cut, and 3D printing files.
Many of the other teams in the competition also use CATIA 3DExperience and V5 !
Construction
The fuselage and wing structure of my plane is made out of lightweight balsa wood, the wing skins are made of tissue paper, The tail structure is made out of carbon fiber and 3D printed PLA, and tail+control surfaces are made using foam.
For more information about the competition, please visit the link below. If you have any questions, feel free to message me! Stay tuned for a short project video filled with highlights of the design process, build, test flights, and competition flights.
The 2023 Bronze Propeller Competition (wichita.edu)
