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Design, Structural Analysis and Modal Analysis of a Wing Section in an UAV

Article in International Journal of Innovative Research in Science Engineering and Technology · October 2017

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 ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 6, Issue 10, October 2017

Design, Structural Analysis and Modal

Analysis of a Wing Section in an UAV
Karthik M A1, Anand Badiger2
1,2
(Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engg, Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, India)

ABSTRACT: Research related to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has become very popular globally largely because
of the wide range of engineering challenges they pose. The purpose of the structural analysis on an UAVs determine the
deformation that the wing undergoes and to estimate the structural integrity of the wing. The paper deals with the static
structural analysis of a wing section with the material considered to be Expanded Polypropylene. The procedure followed,
taking into considerations the lift and drag forces yielded the deformation and maximum stresses that will exist on the
wing during flight. The modal analysis further helped note the fundamental frequencies which would hamper the
operation of the wing. The results of entire process of structural and modal analysis were compared with the theoretical
results and were found to be in close approximation.

KEYWORDS: Drones, Aero Foils, Fixed Wings, ANSYS, Structural Analysis, Expanded Polypropylene

I.Introduction
1.1 Structural Analysis
A wing is a surface used to produce an aerodynamic force normal to the direction of motion by traveling in air
or another gaseous medium, facilitating flight. It is a specific form of aero foil. The optimum structural design
of an A/C wing is an important factor in the performance of the airplanes i.e. obtaining a wing with a high
stiffness/weight ratio and sustaining the unexpected loading such as gust and maneuvering situations. This is
accomplished by studying the different design parameters required to specify the wing geometry. The idea of
the structural optimization in the classical sense, has been the minimization of structural mass by varying
member sizes or shell thickness of a model in which the geometry remains unchanged therefore many studies
have been made during the last years to find the structural optimization. In an aircraft wing structure ribs and
spars are provided to support and give rigidity to the wing section. Although the major focus of structural design
in the early development of aircraft was on strength, now structural designers also deal with fail-safety, fatigue,
maintenance and inspect ability, and predictability. Proper stress levels, a very complex problem in highly
redundant structures, are calculated using versatile computer matrix methods to solve for detailed internal loads.
Modern finite element models of aircraft components include tens-of-thousands of degrees-of-freedoms and are
used to determine the required skin thicknesses to avoid excessive stress levels, deflections, strains, or buckling.
The goals of detailed design are to reduce or eliminate stress concentrations, residual stresses, hidden
undetectable cracks, or single failure causing component failure.
1.2 Modal Analysis
A mode is a shape with a corresponding natural frequency at which the structure will absorb all the available
energy supplied by an excitation. A mode is a property of a structure since it is calculated without any load
applied to the structure.
The 3D aircraft wing is generated in CATIA V5 and modal analysis is done using ANSYS 15.0. The natural
frequency and corresponding mode shapes are obtained. The theoretical calculations for aircraft wing is difficult
due to complicated mathematical calculations. So, the equivalent cantilever beam is generated in CATIA V5 as
per the specification of the aircraft wing for to validate the FEA analysis settings and results. For that cantilever
beam, modal analysis is done using ANSYS 15.0 and analytical results also obtained based on Euler Bernoulli

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0610001 1111

 ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 6, Issue 10, October 2017

beam theory. Here, the analytical results is same as the simulation results and error is less than 1%. It can be
proved that analysis settings used for model analysis is validated as per industry standard and results are correct.
And these analysis settings can be used for aircraft wing analysis, hence the results are correct.

II.3-Dimensional Design

From the previous studies of CFD analysis the aero foil S5010 was selected for the structural design and analysis
of the UAV [1]. The selected structure was used for calculating the root and tip chord lengths by multiplying it
with the relevant scale factor, then these files were processed using commercial FEA package Solid Works 2016
and oriented in the required direction. The tip chord was translated by 750mm from the root chord. Then the
tips of both the aero foil sections were mated at two to three points. Using multi section tool a solid wing was
generated. Another aero foil of tip chord cross section was generated and made it horizontal by rotating it 90°.
These two tip chord sections were mate using curves at the tips. Another tip chord aero foil was generated and
translated by 75mm and the tips of the tip chord aero foils were mated using a multi selection tool. The tip of
the winglet was filled by using the fill tool to cover the surface. This surface was to pass through a point which
was placed at a height of 2mm above the winglet end, in order to get a smooth finish to the winglet. This gave
the completed wing part for the assembly.
For the fuselage, it was decided to use a standard aerodynamic design used in flying wings like sky walker X8.
This design was obtained as an assembly of panels which were individually drafted as 2 dimensional sketches.
This was then subjected to flow tests to determine if it generates a lot of drag. The tests yielded negative showing
that the fuselage generated minimal drag and would contribute to improve aerodynamic stability. To this
standard part we subtracted a volume section using Boolean subtraction at the bottom which would serve as
camera housing. On the top of the fuselage a panel was added using materials options to indicate a removable
panel which could be used to add and remove electrical parts of the plane.

Figure 6. Isometric view of first 3D Design

The selected design S5010 was substantial to few errors as discussed below.
➢ The fuselage and the wing surfaces were not mating.
➢ There were certain patches in the fuselage which needs to be rectified.
➢ The rear end of the fuselage had sharp edges which needed to be smoothened to relieve any residual stresses.

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0610001 1112

 ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 6, Issue 10, October 2017

Figure 2. The figure depicting the errors in the fuselage

The errors were rectified and a final design was generated by adopting the following process:
The fuselage end section and the end section of the root chord aero foil wing section were projected out and the tips were
joined using lines at more than one point. The area was then filled using multi section tool to get a new part which could
act as an interface between fuselage and the wing. This could be avoided if the fuselage was designed for S5010 wing
section. As the used fuselage for the mh45 wing aero foil section, this step was unavoidable.

Figure 3. isometric view of the final design

III.Structural analysis

The material selected for structural design of S5010 Aero foil is Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) as it is highly versatile
closed-cell bead foam that provides a unique range of properties, including outstanding energy absorption, multiple
impact resistance, thermal insulation, buoyancy, water and chemical resistance, exceptionally high strength to weight
ratio and 100% recyclability. EPP can be made in a wide range of densities, from 15 to 200 grams per liter, which are
transformed by moulding into densities ranging from 18 to 260 grams per liter. Individual beads are fused into final
product form by the steam chest moulding process resulting in a strong and lightweight shape.

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0610001 1113

 ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 6, Issue 10, October 2017

Property Value
Density 8.2e-8 kg mm-3
Young’s Modulus 470 MPa
Poisson’s Ratio 0.03
Bulk Modulus 166.67 MPa
Shear Modulus 228.16 MPa
Tensile Yield Strength 0.87 MPa
Compressive Yield Strength 1.78 MPa
Tensile Ultimate Strength 14.1 MPa
Table 1: Material Properties of Expanded Poly propylene

3.1 Structural Analysis of Wing Section

The wing was subjected to different boundary conditions and was processed for meshing.

Figure 4. Wing section with loads and pressures applied

Meshing is the discretization of a model into small elements containing nodes for detailed analysis. ANSYS Fluent can
use meshes comprised of triangular or quadrilateral cells (or a combination of the two) in 2D, and tetrahedral, hexahedral,
polyhedral, pyramid, or wedge cells (or a combination of these) in 3D. The choice of which mesh type to use will depend
on your application. When choosing mesh type, consider the following issues like setup time, computational expense and
numerical diffusion.

A hexahedral element is defined by twelve edges. The twelve edges are grouped into three sets where each set consists
of four edges that are disjoint from one another. By handling each set of edges in succession, the refinement process is
somewhat simplified and total number of different element can be subdivided is significantly reduced. Coarsening of
hexahedral elements is also performed as in the tetrahedral scheme. Hexahedral adaptation schemes generate hanging
vertices when a hexahedron cannot be split into smaller hexahedra without continuously propagating the mesh refinement
into regions where it is not desired. We solve tis hanging vertex problem by using other element types as buffers between
refined and unrefined elements. Pyramids and prisms are used to connect the hanging the hanging vertices without
unnecessarily propagating the grid refinement. The meshed model will have 10097 nodes and 10086 elements when the
model is meshed with fine refinement.

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0610001 1114

 ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 6, Issue 10, October 2017

Figure 5. Meshed Wing Section

The solution was carried out using ANSYS load step solver with the above said loads and the corresponding Von
Misses stress and total deformation was tabulated.

Figure 6. Total Deformation Figure 7. Von Mises Stresses

Figure 8. Directional Deformation (Y axis)

The Von Mises Stress is given by the square root of the sum of the squares of terms based on the principle stresses is
taken to be the criterion of failure for ductile materials. Using this information, we can say whether the design will sustain
or fail, if the maximum value of Von Mises stress induced in the material is more than strength of the material then the
design will be a failure. It works well for most cases, especially when the material is ductile in nature.

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0610001 1115

 ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 6, Issue 10, October 2017

3.2 Modal Analysis

The 3D aircraft wing is generated in CATIA V5 and modal analysis is done using ANSYS 15.0. The natural
frequency and corresponding mode shapes are obtained. The theoretical calculations for aircraft wing is difficult due to
complicated mathematical calculations. So, the equivalent cantilever beam is generated in CATIA V5 as per the
specification of the aircraft wing for to validate the FEA analysis settings and results. For that cantilever beam, modal
analysis is done using ANSYS 15.0 and analytical results also obtained based on Euler Bernoulli beam theory. Here, the
analytical results are same as the simulation results and error is less than 1%. It can be proved that analysis settings used
for model analysis is validated as per industry standard and results are correct. And these analysis settings can be used
for aircraft wing analysis, hence the results are correct.

Figure 9. Specification of Aircraft Wing Figure 10. Equivalent cantilever beam as per

3.2.1 Specifications of aircraft wing.

Natural frequency for aircraft wing is calculated by following formula,
β2 𝐸𝐼
fn = 𝑋√
2𝜋 𝑚𝐿3

Where,
L= span of the wing = 0.806 m
E= Young's modulus = 406 MPa
I = Moment of Inertia = bd3/12= 7.371*10-7 m4
m = Mass of the wing = 0.779 Kg
β = 1.875

1.8752 470∗106∗7.371∗10−7
fn = 𝑋√ =16.314 Hz
2𝜋 0.779∗0.8063

The preprocessing and meshing for model is the same as structural.

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0610001 1116

 ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 6, Issue 10, October 2017

Mode Frequency [Hz]

1. 17.929
2. 50.806
3. 62.981
4. 76.006
5. 86.544
6. 96.073

Figure 11. Fundamental Frequencies

IV.Solution
The modal solution of the wing section gave symbolic shapes similar to the sine curve and the frequencies
were in compliance with the calculated frequencies.

Figure 12. Modal Shape for 17.9 Hz Figure 13. Modal Shape for 50.81 Hz

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0610001 1117

 ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 6, Issue 10, October 2017

Figure 14. Modal Shape for 62.98 Hz Figure 15. Modal Shape for 76 Hz

Figure 16. Modal Shape for 86.544 Hz Figure 17. Modal Shape for 96.073 Hz
The purpose of a modal analysis is to find the shapes and frequencies at which the structure will amplify the effect of a
load. In this section, few examples will be listed for the need of this information and how to use the solutions.

Virtually all analysis types solve for some form of response due to different type of loads. A modal analysis is rather
unique in this regard for the following reasons:

➢ A modal analysis solves an equation for which there is no applied load.

➢ A modal analysis gives us specific information on the characteristics of the structure instead of reporting a
response.
➢ A modal analysis tells at which frequency the structure will absorb all the energy applied to it, and what the
shape looks like which corresponds to this frequency.

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0610001 1118

 ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 6, Issue 10, October 2017

V.Conclusion
The recent advancements in the field of UAV’s have facilitated the world in many fields. Its advantages are spread across
various fields like agriculture, disaster management, mapping a land, surveying. India is one of those countries which is
not making use of this technology in a full-fledged manner. One of the reasons is the high cost of the currently available
UAV’s. The main reason behind this research work is “To design an UAV that is affordable as well as efficient”. With
certain objectives in mind the research has produced a three-dimensional model that is theoretically sound and closely
meets all the set objectives.

The proposed model when fabricated using EPP foam as the material would cost Rs.1.2 lakhs which is on the lower hand
when compared to the other models in the market with costs going up to Rs.7 lakhs. This can be used by the farmers for
mapping their agricultural fields to reduce the crop failure and to increase the yield. It will also help in creating a new
job profile where in a person can buy the drone and go on daily basis to map the field and can make an earning. This can
also be used for disaster management in the cases of building collapses and fire accidents to locate the people.
If this model is fabricated it would help us in every possible field and would minimize the time taken to locate people
during disaster management and the losses being incurred in the field of agriculture.

REFERENCES
[1] Karthik M A, Srinivasan K, Srujan S, Subhash Holla H S, Suraj Jain M, DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF A FIXED WING FOR AN
UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE, International Journal of Latest Engineering Research and Applications (IJLERA) ISSN: 2455-7137, Volume
– 02, Issue – 07, July – 2017, PP – 01-09

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