CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF A 3D PRINTED FLYING WING eVTOL DRONE USED FOR EMERGENCY DELIVERIES

Abstract

This research focused on the conceptual design of a novel hybrid configuration of a drone. Therefore, a flying wing eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) is an innovative design that combines the efficiency of a flying wing with the vertical capabilities of an eVTOL. The proposed drone is equipped with a cargo box for emergency medical deliveries.  A novel drone development methodology consisting of eight main steps was proposed. The 3D model of the drone was obtained using computer-aided design (CAD) software. A preliminary aerodynamic study for cruise flight was performed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The results have shown a flying wing lift force of 89.2 N. A 1:2 scale rapid prototype for testing, which contains a thin shell, a rectangular shape spar, and ribs placed at +/-45 degrees, was proposed and fabricated by 3D printing using the fused deposition modeling (FDM) method.