Department of Mechanical Engineering

Theory of Machine-II

Semester Design Project (6th Semester)

REHMAN LATIF
 Semester Design Project Report
Outlines
Sr.
No.
1. Introduction

2. Literature Review

3. Design and Analysis

4. Calculations & Results

5. Conclusion
 Introduction
➢ Title of Project:
To increase the stability of drone by using six propellers (Hexacopter).
➢ Aims & Objectives:
To make hexacopter, i.e. we increase stability of drone, and learn what will be advantages
of hexacopter over Quadcopter.
➢ Hexacopter:
While a quadcopter is equipped with 4 rotors and an octocopter with 8 propellers and
motors, the hexacopter is characterized by its 6 rotor arms. The 6-rotor system not only
provides a more stable flight and more power, but is also an important safety feature.
Multi rotor UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles), namely quadcopters and hexacopter, have
become increasingly popular in recent years. Like the similar single rotor helicopters, they
possess the ability to hover on the spot but have the added advantage that they are far more
maneuverable, they can move in directions left and right just as well as forwards and
backwards.
The multirotor technology is becoming more popular and viable for industrial applications
as the battery technology used to power the copters becomes lighter, lasts longer and
becomes more cost effective. The large hobby-Ist following has also made the technology
widely accessible to researchers.
UAVs are currently being used in several industrial applications. In the mining industry
they are used for aerial mapping, surveying and mining exploration.
A hexacopter has many advantages and is suitable for beginners as well as for demanding
photographers and videographers due to its safe and stable flight characteristics.
➢ Classifications of Hexacopter:
There are two classifications of hexacopter depending on direction of Motor movement,
plus and X configuration as shown in figure.

➢ The advantages of a hexacopter at a glance:

If an motor or propeller is damaged, a hexacopter is able to fly and land safely even
with 5 rotors
6 rotors for a more stable flight behavior.
Flying even at high wind speeds.
Higher load capacity.
6 motors for more thrust and power.
Greater acceptance by authorities for a start-permission.
 Literature Review
The prefix “hex” means “six,” so a hexacopter is a drone with six rotors. They are arranged
in a circle around the main body of the craft, spaced 120 degrees apart, and with legs
attached to the body to allow for a safe and steady landing. The extra rotors make
hexacopters powerful fliers that can carry fairly heavy payloads. They also remain stable in
their air, which makes them great options for aerial photographers. Even at high altitudes
with thin air, these drones can stay aloft with ease. In high winds, their rotors will still slice
through the air and keep it under your control.
➢ Movement Mechanism:
Hexacopter can describe as a little vehicle with six propellers connected to rotor situated at
the cross casing. The speeds of these six rotors are independent and it controlled by
ardupilot. Pitch roll and yaw attitude of the vehicle can be control easily. Pitch roll and yaw
attitude off hexacopter are shown in Figures.

Yaw Motion (ө):

Rotation around the vertical axis is called Yaw, the Rudder controls Yaw Left and Right.
 Roll Motion (Ф):
Rotation around the front-to-back axis is called Roll.
Pitch Motion (ө):
Rotation around the side to side axis is called Pitch.
➢ Four modes of hexacopter:
1. Forward and backward mode:
Forward movement is control by expanding velocity of back rotor of two engines, and the
retrogressive movement is control by diminishing the speed of front rotor at the same time
will influence the pitch point of the hexacopter as show in figure below,

2. Left and right mode:

For left and right movement, it can control by changing the yaw point of hexacopter. Yaw
edge can control by expanding counter-clockwise rotors speed while diminishing clockwise
rotor speed and can control it additionally by diminishing counter-clockwise rotors speed
while expanding clockwise rotor speed as appeared in figure below,

3. Hovering or static position mode:

The hovering of hexacopter is done by three propellers are rotating in clockwise and
counter-clockwise respectively with same speed. Static position is done by two rotors
rotating in clockwise and counter-clockwise position, the total sum of reaction torque is
zero.
4. Take-off and landing mode:
Take-off is mechanism of hexacopter that lift up from ground to float position and landing
position is versa of take-off position, in remove the controller ought to disperse the ability
to each engine similarly to make an take-off , and furthermore in finding the controller
ought to limit the power similarly to keep away from any harm in part.
➢ Components of Hexacopter:
Frame:
The difficulty lies in choosing the suitable material for the manufacture of the hexacopter,
since it is necessary to get a material that has a degree of strength and hardness to bear the
impact of motors in addition to the weights that will be on the hexacopter such as the
battery and other things and also must be used Weight to be able to take off without any
problems.
In our case we select the F550 frame for hexacopter as shown in figure given below,

DC brushless Motors:
The motors spin the propellers to provide the drone with lifting thrust. Drone almost use
brushless DC motors, as they provide thrust-to-weight ratios superior to brushed DC
motors. Motors are typically given two ratings, Kv ratings and current ratings. The Kv
rating indicates how fast the motor will spin (RPM) for 1V of applied voltage. The current
rating indicates the max current that the motor may safely draw. So, for our project we
select Brushless DC motor of type (A2212/10T-1400Kv).
 Propellers:
Propeller is a type of fan that converts rotational motion into thrust. Generally, propellers
are classified on the basis of their diameter and pitch and are represented in terms of
product of diameter and pitch. There are some types of propeller mostly use nylon, carbon. In
our project we select plastic propeller (1045(10×4.5) SF Propellers).

Electronic speed controller (ESC):

The electronic speed controller controls the speed of the motor or advises the motor how
quick to turn at a given time. For a hexacopter, 6 ESCs are required, one associated with
each motor. The ESCs are then associated legitimately to the battery through either control
appropriation board. Each ESC has a present rating, which showed the greatest current that
it might give the motor without overheating. ESCs must be chosen to ensure that they can
provide enough current for the motors. Depending on calculation we selected 30A ESC for
our project as shown in figure given below,
 Battery:
The battery provides electrical power to the motors and all electronic components of the
aircraft. Lithium polymer batteries (Li-Po) are most popular battery uses in drones due to
its light weight, energy density, longer run times and ability to be recharged, but also it has a
problem that if the charge finished completely it will not woke again. Due to our
calculations we select Battery (3S Li-Po, 5200 mah) as shown in figure given below,

Flight controller:
A flight controller, on the other hand, is the circuit board that translates information from
the drone remote controller into action. It is responsible of the drone fight and control it
throughout the flight.
In our project we select the APM 2.8 flight controller as shown in figure given below,
 Remote control (Receiver & Transmitter):
The main objective of R/C is controlled the hexacopter remotely, and there are two
condition to select the suitable one, the first is the number of channels you need and, in our
project we need four channel (X for Roller, Y for Pitch, Z for Yaw, Throttle (to control
speed of motors), the second condition is the range of control.
We select FLYSKY i6x Receiver and Transmitter for our project as shown in figure given
below,
 Design and Analysis
➢ Design of frame:
The design of frame on solidwork is given below,
Arms:

Bottom plate:
 Upper plate:

➢ Design of propeller and DC motor:

The design of propeller and DC motor on solidwork is given below,
➢ Complete Model:
➢ Analyses:
➢ Static Analysis:
Von misses:

Deflection:
Strain:

Safety factor:
➢ Flow analysis:
Flow trajectories:
➢ Assembly:
The assembly is given below in following steps,
First of all we mounted the bottom plate of the frame with arms.
Fixed the all six motors on the arms as shown in figure.
Fixed the all six ESCs on the arms with binding Strips.
Soldered the wires of all six ESCs on the bottom plate on the soldering points as shown
in figure.
Soldered the wires of power module on the bottom plate on the soldering points.

We mounted the Flight Controller and the Receiver on the bottom plate with double
tape and make all connections of ESCs and the Receiver with Flight Controller
according to the requirements as shown in figures.
We fixed the upper plate of the frame as shown in figure.

Mounted the battery on upper plate by using binding strips as shown in figure.
We connected the flight controller with laptop through USB cable and programmed it
with mission planner software.
We celebrated the all the six ESCs and motors.
Finally we fixed all the six propellers on the motors as shown in figures.
 Calculations & Results
➢ General equation:
WGL = WE + WF + WPL + WCrew
WGL = Ground
launch.
WE = Empty weight.
WF = Fuel weight.
WPL = Payload
weight.
WCrew = Crew weight.
By apply this equation we get,
In drone the Fuel weight and Crew weight will equal zero.
So,
WGL = WE + WPL
In our case the Payload weight is also Zero,
WGL = WE
The main forces act on a Hexacopter body shown in figure,

Lift force:
The force generated by the propeller of the plane and its vertical direction to the surfaceof
the propeller of the plane.
Gravity force:
The force of gravity resulting from the mass of the plane and its direction to the center of
the earth.
Thrust force:
It is the power generated by the brushless DC motors that push and move the plane.
Drag force:
Is an impedance force for the movement of the plane and is reversible the thrust force.
➢ To find We and WGL:
From that we can find the We and it will equal,
From datasheets we will collect the weight for every component
Wight of battery =
Wight of DC motors =
Wight of ESCs =
Weight of flight controller =
Weight of frame =
Weight of receiver =
Weight of power module =
Weight of binding strips =
Weight of propellers=
So, We =

The WGL will equal,

WGL =
➢ Estimation of brushless DC motor:
WGL =
One rule of thumb is that an optimal thrust-to-weight ratio for a drone is about 2:1

The total thrust required =

Thrust for each motor = Total thrust / Number of motors

In our motor the maximum thrust =

So, we are in the safe side.
➢ Estimation of flight time:
Before we can calculate flight time, we need to know the average amperage the hexacopter
will draw. Once we have the average amperage draw we can then calculate flight.
To calculate flight time, take the battery’s capacity in amp hours, then divide that into the
average amp draw of the hexacopter and then multiply it by 60. The total is the flight time
in minutes.
In our case the Battery is 3S Li-Po, 5200 mah

The battery’s capacity in amp hours =

Note that,

1S =1 Cell =

3S =

Average amp draw of the hexacopter =

Flight time =
 Conclusion
While the initial goal of creating a Hexacopter capable of sensing obstacles was not
reached in seven weeks, our group still learned a substantial amount about drones design,
fabrication, control, and Arduino programming.
We learned important soldering and electric system fabrication skills. Our group became
proficient Arduino programmers by necessity as it was the most complex part and required a
group effort.
By using Solidworks, we design the frame, and choosing the main components depending
on our calculations, with our Preliminary calculations we were able to find the suitable
distribution for the components to reach the best center of gravity point to get the best
balance possible.