Value driven design of additive manufactured unmanned aircraft

Abstract

This thesis introduces a novel value driven design methodology for mission-specific rapid-manufactured Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). It is based on a holistic design environment that integrates a multi-disciplinary aircraft design tool, an agent-based operational simulation, and a life-cycle cost-benefit model. The definitions of the stakeholders’ value drivers, the concept of operations, and the operating environment are used to create a detailed simulation capable of evaluating the mission effectiveness of the system and its life-cycle cost as well as, remarkably, the impact of the system performance on the operation of the other agents participating in the mission. This enhances the understanding of the design space and allows the designer to elicit the system characteristics that lead to the best value for the stakeholders.
This methodology is applied to the design of an unmanned aircraft to support search and rescue in cooperation with lifeboats. This case study demonstrates that counterintuitive effects can arise from the operation of the UAV in a complex environment. The holistic design environment can
unveil these emergent behaviours and provide quantitative relationships between the technical characteristics of the system and the overall mission value, therefore improving design decision making. This study also highlights the importance of providing the decision maker with a comprehensive set of simulation outputs in order to facilitate the understanding of the factors and dynamics that contribute to the value generation.
This thesis also discusses the impact of additive manufacturing on the design of UAVs with a focus on selective laser sintering of plastic. The merits and limitation of this technology are discussed through the analysis of a number of case studies, including the design and test of the first entirely 3D printed UAV. Additive manufacturing decreases the product development time, increases its adaptability, and facilitates the continuous system development. The absence of penalties associated with the production of complex geometries generates opportunities for mass and cost savings through multi-functionality and structural integration. Additionally, this research offers a principle to guide the architectural design of partly 3D printed UAVs. The principle is based on a measure of the manufacturing complexity, engineering judgment and network analysis of the product architecture and can identify the parts that would benefit the most from the adoption of additive manufacturing as well as highlight the opportunity for components integration and modularisation of the assembly.

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