Design and development of a VTOL UAV arm for heavy load lifting

Abstract

Mid-size unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have gained popularity recently for civil applications including agricultural spraying and transportation. These applications require larger propellers and higher power to handle heavier payloads. Medium-sized UAVs are becoming more and more crucial to achieving all transportation objectives. For this reason, carbon fibre frames are frequently employed in constructing widely used UAVs due to their ease of assembly and availability in markets. However, these UAV frames are expensive and have limited manufacturing capacity. The present study aimed to develop a Mid-Size UAV arm that is suitable for rapid manufacturing by using common manufacturing techniques. In line with this purpose, a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV arm was designed, analysed, and developed. The parameters of displacement, safety factor, stress (σ), and strain (ε) were compared between experimental test results and computer-based structural analysis results. To investigate the relationship between thrust force and strain, an experimental test was accomplished with the help of a UAV arm testing mechanism. The developed arm of the UAV is capable of producing thrust up to 250 N at about 5000 rpm using a 6.5 kW power brushless direct current motor and the reducer.