Development and Simulation of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

The proper design of the UAV will enable the system to meet its service and functional requirements. It will also promote its availability and reliability, thereby extending its useful life in service. This work focuses on the development, sizing of an engine, and simulation of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), including the assembly of the whole propulsion system in the UAV. The mission of the developed UAV is for short range (25-100 km). The propulsion system consists of the following: the engine, muffler, electronic ignition system, fuel tank, engine servos, propeller, firewall, and battery. These components assembled together give the UAV its required thrust for flight. The design calculations were done, and simulations for the design were carried out using Solid Works and AutoCAD. The developed UAV was constructed using local materials such as Styrofoam and wood. It was driven by a two stroke internal combustion engine (gas engine) and an electric motor controlled by an electric speed controller (ESC). The performance evaluation of the developed UAV was carried out using the virtual X-Plane flight simulator. The results obtained indicated that that the developed UAV can be deployed for the short-range missions. This work provides design data for the development of the UAV. Hence, it is envisaged that the outcome of the study will be of immense guide to industries, which specialize in the development of UAV.