Mass Prediction Models for Air Cargo Challenge Aircraft

• Autor(a) principal: Garcia, Gustavo Lima
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.6/8558
• topic: Aeronave; Air Cargo Challenge; Ajuste de Dados; Configuração de Asa; Modelos de Previsão de Massa; Perfil Alar; Polímero de Fibra de Carbono Reforçado; Veículo Aéreo Não-Tripulado; Domínio/Área Científica::Engenharia e Tecnologia::Engenharia Aeronáutica

The development of mass prediction models, specific for the Air Cargo Challenge competition, is presented on this dissertation. This Design/Build/Fly competition has a major interest to the University of Beira Interior, particularly to the Aerospace Sciences Department. These models are divided in two development methods: statistical and structure equations based type. The statistical mass models are developed based on data collected from past editions and are divided in general and component based mass models. The accuracy of this type of models is, mainly, dependent on the amount of data available. On both of them three models are presented, one containing all available aircraft and two more created from the division in two groups of the original one. Using the structure equations method, where the amount of material is determined, required to withstand the stresses that the airplane is subjected, a model is developed for each one of the three wing configurations considered, mainly CFRP, D-box CFRP and CFRP tube spar. The tail boom component equation is created independently and the remaining components masses are determined from coefficients based on geometric characteristics and the wing mass calculated. The associated average error to these models is inferior to 1%. The results obtained from the application in the considered study cases are also presented and the respective validity, accuracy and application, in terms of design phase, for each method, are discussed.