2005
Rules and Vehicle Design
Note: Rules are “Draft” until
Summary:
The AIAA through the Applied Aerodynamics, Aircraft Design, Design Engineering and Flight Test Technical Committees and the AIAA Foundation invites all university students to participate in the Cessna/ONR Student Design/Build/Fly Competition. The contest will provide a real-world aircraft design experience for engineering students by giving them the opportunity to validate their analytic studies.
Student teams will design, fabricate, and demonstrate the flight capabilities of an unmanned, electric powered, radio controlled aircraft that can best meet the specified mission profile. The goal is a balanced design possessing good demonstrated flight handling qualities and practical and affordable manufacturing requirements while providing a high vehicle performance.
To encourage innovation and maintain a fresh design challenge for each new year, the design requirements and performance objectives will be updated for each new contest year. The changes will provide new design requirements and opportunities, while allowing for application of technology developed by the teams from prior years.
Cash prizes are $2500 for 1st, $1500 for 2nd and $1000 for 3rd place. Winners will be invited to present their designs at the 2005 Aircraft Technology, Integration and Operations Conference.
Judging:
Students must design, document, fabricate, and demonstrate the aircraft they determine as best capable of achieving the highest score on the specified mission profile(s). Flight scores will be based on the demonstrated mission performance obtained during the contest.
Each team must also submit a written Design Report. A maximum of 100 points will be awarded for the team design report. Scores for the written reports will be announced at the beginning of the fly-off.
Each aircraft will have computed a Rated Aircraft Cost, reflecting the complexity/technology of the design.
The overall team score is a combination of the Design Report, Rated Aircraft Cost and Flight scores. The team with the highest overall team score will be declared the winner.
Scores will be DECLAIRED FINAL 7 working days after the completion of the contest. This period will allow for review of the scores in a timely fashion following the contest.
All submitted reports are the property of AIAA, Cessna and ONR and may be published or reproduced at their discretion.
Contest Site:
Host for the competition will be the Office of Naval Research. The fly-off is planned to be held at Webster Field at St Inigos, MD.
You can check on weather historical conditions at www.weatherbase.com or www.weatherunderground.com.
Team Requirements:
All team members (except for a pre-approved designated pilot) must be full time students at an accredited University or College and student members of the AIAA. The team must be composed of both under classmen and upper classmen, with at least 1/3 of the members being under classmen (Freshman, Sophomores or Juniors). The pilot must be an AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) member. Teams may use a non-university member for the pilot if desired. We will also provide qualified pilots on the contest day for any teams who are unable to have their pilot attend.
Past Year Reports:
The top scoring report from the past years competition will be available for reference on the contest web site. The team with the top scoring report from this years contest will be required to submit an electronic copy of their report following the competition, which will be placed on the contest web site for the next years competition.
Sponsorship:
Teams may solicit and accept sponsorship in the form of funds or materials and components from commercial organizations. All design, analysis and fabrication of the contest entry is the sole responsibility of the student team members.
Schedule:
A completed electronic entry form is due to the
contest administrator on or before
The entry form for the DBF is different than that
used for all other AIAA student competitions.
The DBF entry form is a MS-Word file and can be found on the contest web
site. It must be submitted by e-mail to the contest administrator at gregory.s.page@nrl.navy.mil . Be
sure to include the Phone and FAX number for your team advisor and at least one
student contact so we may reach you in case of any last minute problems or
changes. All teams are required to
provide two point-of-contact e-mail addresses with their contest application,
one of which must be the teams advisor. It is
the teams responsibility to make sure the e-mail contact addresses they supply
remain active during the entire period from entry to the close of the
competition, as e-mail will be the primary means to provide information and
updates.
Please Note: The Entry Name may not be changed once the form is submitted, but must be retained and used in all reports and correspondence during the competition year.
Written reports (5
hard copies, electronic reports will not be accepted), are due
to the Chief of Scoring by COB
(A note
primarily for foreign entrants but also allowed for domestic teams. If sending the report by courier is
prohibitive you may send it electronically to a commercial printer
(KINKO’s comes to mind) local to the report submission address and have them
print/collate and DELIVER the reports to meet the deadline. No deadline exceptions will be made, but this
may be easier than international courier service.)
The contest is scheduled for 22-24 April 2005. The competition will run from noon to 5PM on Friday, and 8AM to 5PM on Saturday and Sunday. Final awards will be presented at the end of Sunday's competition. All teams are encouraged to stay and attend the awards presentations on Sunday.
Please note that tech inspections will be available on Friday 22 April. Teams are encouraged to be prepared to have your plane inspected on Friday. Inspections will also be available on Saturday, but waiting until Saturday to go through tech may mean that your team will miss one or more rounds through the flight queue. If we have a full turnout you may not be able to get in a full set of scoring flights unless you are "ready to fly" at every opportunity.
Late entries will NOT be accepted. Late or incomplete report submissions will NOT be judged. Teams who do not submit the required written reports will NOT be allowed to fly. It is the teams responsibility to assure that all deadlines are met, as they will be strictly enforced.
Communications:
The contest administration will maintain a World Wide Web site containing the latest information regarding the contest schedules, rules, and participating teams. The contest web site will also contain a list of potential suppliers for materials and equipment available to build an entry. The contest web site is located at:
http://www.ae.uiuc.edu/aiaadbf
Questions regarding the contest, schedules, or rules interpretation may be sent to the contest administrator by e-mail at:
gregory.s.page@nrl.navy.mil
The contest administrator will provide e-mail copies of questions received and their answers to all teams of record.
Written reports (only) should be sent to the Chief of Scoring at:
AIAA Design/Build/Fly
Contest/Report Judging
Greg Page Bldg 210
ITT / AES
2560 Huntington Ave.
Alexandria, VA 22303
202-404-1251
202-767-6194 FAX
Aircraft Requirements - General
- The aircraft may be of any configuration except rotary wing or lighter-than-air.
- No structure/components may be dropped from the
aircraft during flight.
- No form of externally
assisted take-off is allowed. All
energy for take-off must come from the on-board propulsion battery
pack(s).
- Must be propeller driven and electric powered with an unmodified over-the-counter model electric motor. May use multiple motors and/or propellers. May be direct drive or with gear or belt reduction.
- NEW: Motors may be
any commercial brush or brushless electric motor.
- For safety, each aircraft will use a commercially produced propeller. Teams may modify the propeller diameter by clipping the tip, and may paint the blades to balance the propeller. No other modifications to the propeller are allowed. Commercial ducted fan units are allowed.
- Motors and batteries will be limited to a maximum of 40 Amp current draw by means of a 40 Amp fuse (per motor or pack) in the line from the positive battery terminal to the motor controller. Only ATO or blade style plastic fuses may be used. (e.g. "Maxi" size Slow Blow, 1.15"x0.85". Available online www.Mcmaster.com part #7460K51 $1.66 each)
- NEW: Must use over the counter NiCad or NiMH batteries. For safety, battery packs must have shrink-wrap or other protection over all electrical contact points. The individual cells must be commercially available, and the manufacturers label must be readable (i.e. clear shrink wrap preferred). All battery disconnects must be "fully insulated" style connectors.
- NEW: Maximum battery pack weight is 3 lb. Battery pack must power propulsion and payload systems only. Radio Rx and servos MUST be on a separate battery pack. Batteries may not be changed or charged between sorties during a flight period.
- Aircraft and pilot must be AMA legal. This means that the aircraft TOGW (take-off gross weight with payload) must be less than 55 lb, and the pilot must be a member of the AMA.
- Since this is an AMA sanctioned event, the team must submit proof that the aircraft has been flown prior to the contest date (in flight photo) to the technical inspection team. Contest supplied qualified pilots will be available to teams who require them.
- NEW: Teams must use
the contest supplied RAC calculation sheet. This Excel file will be available for
download from the contest web site.
Teams must use the file “as-is” for print inclusion in the Design
Report, and must supply a separate signed (by the teams faculty advisor)
copy of their Rated Aircraft Cost worksheet to the judges during
technical inspection for verification.
The RAC sheet presented at the tech inspection should match the final aircraft configuration being flown at the contest, and may differ from the one submitted with the Design Report. During tech inspection the judges will determine an independent RAC value. The Rated Aircraft Cost obtained at the technical inspection will be used for the competition and may not be modified during the event.
Aircraft Requirements - Safety
All vehicles will undergo a safety inspection by a designated contest safety inspector prior to being allowed to make any competition or non-competition (i.e. practice) flight. All decisions of the safety inspector are final. Safety inspections will include the following as a minimum.
- Physical inspection of vehicle to insure structural integrity.
- Verify all components adequately secured to vehicle. Verify all fasteners tight and have either safety wire, locktite (fluid) or nylock nuts.
- Verify propeller structural and attachment integrity.
- Visual inspection of all electronic wiring to assure adequate wire gauges and connectors in use. Teams must notify inspector of expected maximum current draw for the propulsion system.
- Radio range check, motor off and motor on.
- Verify all controls move in the proper sense.
- Check general integrity of the payload system.
- Structural verification. All aircraft will be lifted with one lift point at each wing tip to verify adequate wing strength (this is "roughly" equivalent to a 2.5g load case) and to check for vehicle cg location. Both upright and inverted wing lift tests will be performed. Teams must mark the expected empty and loaded cg locations on the exterior of the aircraft fuselage. Special provisions will be made at the time of the contest for aircraft whose cg does not fall within the wing tip chord. This test will be made with the aircraft filled to its maximum payload capacity.
- Radio fail-safe check. All aircraft radios must have a fail-safe mode that is automatically selected during loss of transmit signal. The fail-safe will be demonstrated on the ground by switching off the transmit radio. During fail safe the aircraft receiver must select:
Throttle closed
Full up elevator
Full right rudder
Full right (or left) aileron
Full Flaps down (if so equipped)
During Fail Safe the
payload release system must NOT activate.
The radio Fail Safe provisions will be
strictly enforced.
- All aircraft must
have a mechanical motor arming system separate from the onboard radio Rx
switch. This MUST be the contest specified
"blade" style fuse. This device must be located so it is
accessible by a crewmember standing ahead of the
propeller(s) for pusher aircraft, and standing behind the
propeller(s) for tractor aircraft (i.e. the crew member must not reach
across the propeller plane to access the fuse). The "Safety Arming
Device" will be in "Safe" mode for all payload changes.
The aircraft Rx should always be powered on and the throttle verified to
be "closed" before activating the motor arming switch. Fuses MUST be accessible from outside
the aircraft and act as the "safeing" device.
Note: The aircraft must be “safed” (arming fuse removed) any time the aircraft is being manually moved, or while loading/unloading payload during the mission. The arming fuse must be removed anytime the aircraft is in the hanger area.
Teams must complete the flight missions as outlined in the mission matrix below. Teams will have a maximum of 5 flight attempts. A flight attempt is defined as advancing the throttle “stick” for take-off, or going past the 2 minute preparation time. The best Single Flight Score from each of 2 different mission types will be summed for the team's Total Flight Score.
In the event that, due to time or facility
limitations, it is not possible to allow all teams to have the maximum number
of flight attempts, the contest committee reserves the right to ration and/or
schedule flights. The exact determination of how to ration flights will be made
on the contest day based on the number of entries, weather, and field
conditions.
Each team's overall score will be computed from their Written Report Score, Total Flight Score, and the Rated Aircraft Cost using the formula:
SCORE = Written Report Score *
Total Flight Score
Rated Aircraft Cost
|
|
Description |
|
|
General
Mission Information ·
Aircraft must fit in a 2-ft wide by 1-ft high
by 4-ft long (interior dimensions) box.
The aircraft will be returned to the box at end of the flight as a
part of each timed mission. The aircraft must not be damaged in any way during the
“return to box” task. · The aircraft MUST be configured to support both wing tip EXTERNAL payload carriage and fuselage INTERNAL payload carriage, even if the sensor re-position mission is not flown. Wing tip lift tests will be performed with the INTERNAL payload only. · Each payload is a 12” long 3” (metric 75mm) PVC tube (minimum length of the tube proper, with out any ends/caps/fairings). Ends must be closed. Ends may be faired in any manor desired. The identically same payload must be used for both the INTERNAL and EXTERNAL payload missions (any fairings, fins or other structures used for the external mission must also be in place during the internal missions). Each payload must weigh at least 3 lbs. · EXTERNAL payload must be carried on a hard-point located within 3 inches of the wing tip of the largest span wing. One payload hard-point will be located at each wing tip. The aircraft will NOT be required to fly with only one wing tip payload package loaded. External payload must be capable of remote (RC) release, but will use only manual reloading. Payload release must use a dedicated servo, it can not be integrated with any flight control servo. · INTERNAL payload must be carried fully inside the fuselage. Payload must be symmetric to the fuselage centerline. (ie. They can be side-by-side and symmetric to the fuselage centerline, or they may be one above the other and on the fuselage centerline). For dual-fuselage configurations one sensor package will be in each fuselage, on that fuselage’s plane of symmetry. · The Entry Name and University Name must be clearly visible on the upper surfaces of the upper-most wing. Font used should be large enough to allow easy identification in photographs of the aircraft (does not apply to in-flight photos). · Teams must select one of the following missions for each flight. Teams may select a different mission for each of their scoring flight attempts. · Take-off distance is 150 ft wheels off the runway. For each take-off of a multi-sortie mission the aircraft may be returned to the start line for each new take-off, or may start where it is. In either case the maximum take-off allowance is MEASURED from the start line. · On landing the aircraft must land on the runway (but may roll off) to obtain a score for that flight. · All payloads must be adequately secured using mechanical means. Tape and Velcro are not acceptable forms of restraint. · Each team will be issued a Flight Scoring sheet when they complete the technical inspection (along with their DBF flight approval decal). The TEAM is responsible for maintaining the Flight Scoring sheet. They must present it to the flight line scoring judge before beginning each mission. They must present it to the main scoring judge for recording within 5 minutes of the completion of each flight. Scores reported later than 5 minutes from the recorded end-of-flight time will be scored as 0. Duplicate scoring sheets will NOT be available. · Maximum mission time is 10 minutes. |
|
Sensor
Reposition |
DF = 2.0 · Mission Profile:
· One release location will be along the runway edge furthest from the pit crew “box”, the other location will be along the runway centerline. Locations will be marked on the pavement by 10 ft x 10 ft rectangles. If the sensor package rolls out of the marked area it will be scored as an incomplete flight. · On all laps flown the aircraft must complete a 360o turn in the direction opposite of the base and final turns on the downwind leg of each lap. ·
For this task there is no score for a
partial mission · For this task there is no score if the aircraft is not successfully returned to the box at the end of the mission. ·
Single
Flight Score is: |
|
Maximum
Utilization |
DF = 1.0 · Mission Profile:
· The total mission Time limit is 6 minutes. · A Penalty of 1 lap will be assessed for each 15 seconds or portion thereof beyond the 6 minutes before the box is closed and latched. · On all laps flown the aircraft must complete two (2) 360o turns in the direction opposite of the base and final turns on the downwind leg of each lap. · For this task there is no score if the aircraft is not successfully returned to the box at the end of the mission. ·
Single
Flight Score is: |
|
Re-Supply |
DF=1.5 · Mission Profile:
· On all laps flown the aircraft must complete one (1) 360o turn in the direction opposite of the base and final turns on the downwind leg of each lap. · For this task there is no score if the aircraft is not successfully returned to the box at the end of the mission. Single Flight Score is: If only 3
of the 4 sorties are completed |
Aircraft that run off the runway before reaching
the start line may be returned to the runway to taxi back to the line or may be
carried to the line by the ground crew.
Aircraft Cost Model:
Rated Aircraft Cost, $ (Thousands) = (A*MEW + B*REP + C*MFHR)/1000
|
Coef. |
Description |
Value |
|
A |
Manufacturers Empty Weight Multiplier |
$500 (NEW) |
|
B |
Rated Engine Power Multiplier |
$1000 (NEW) |
|
C |
Manufacturing Cost Multiplier |
$20 / hour |
|
MEW |
Manufacturers Empty Weight |
Actual airframe weight [lb] with all flight and propulsion batteries but without any payload. |
|
REP |
Rated Engine Power |
(1+.25*(# engines-1)) * Total Battery Weight [lbs] "Total Battery Weight" will be the weight of the propulsion battery pack(s) as determined by the judges scale during technical inspection. Total propulsion battery pack weight may not exceed 3 lb, but it may be lighter. |
|
MFHR |
Manufacturing Man Hours |
Prescribed assembly hours by WBS (Work Breakdown Structure). MFHR = S WBS hours WBS 1.0 Wing(s): (NEW) 10 hr/ft^2 WBS 2.0 Fuselage 20 hr/ft^3 WBS 3.0 Empennage 5 hr/Vertical Surface (Any vertical surface, including winglets, struts,
end plates, ventral etc) with no active control A "V" tail is considered to be a Vertical surface without control (5 hr) plus a horizontal surface with controls (10 hr), for a total of 15 hr. WBS 4.0 Flight Systems 5 hr/servo or motor controller WBS 5.0 (Deleted)
|
Rated Aircraft Cost must be supplied when the aircraft enters the technical inspection. The RAC worksheet must be signed by the team advisor. RAC may not be changed during the competition unless it is determined by the contest officials to be inaccurate or inappropriate. The contest officials reserve the right to audit and revise the RAC for omissions or errors at any time.
General Mission Specification and Notes:
· Aircraft are to remain assembled while waiting in the queue. Teams will install the propulsion batteries once reaching the 3rd “On Deck” position (i.e. when the aircraft is 3rd in the queue, the team must begin to install the batteries).
· Aircraft may not have any work performed in the starting line queue, other than as specified above at the 3rd On Deck position. Aircraft propulsion batteries may be left out of the aircraft when in line.
· Aircraft batteries may be charged while the aircraft is in the queue IF AND ONLY IF the batteries are removed from the aircraft.
· The aircraft propulsion system(s) must be disarmed or "safed" during any time when crew members are preparing the aircraft.
· Maximum flight support crew is: pilot, observer, and 3 ground crew. Only the designated ground crew may reload the aircraft payload . Pilot and observer may be members of the ground crew, provided total ground crew size remains 3 people.
· Observer and all ground crew must be students. Only the pilot may be a non-student.
· The upwind turn will be made after passing the upwind pylon. The downwind turn will be made after passing the downwind pylon. Upwind and downwind pylons will be 500 ft from the starting line. Aircraft must be "straight and level" when passing the pylon before initiating the turn.
· Aircraft must land on the paved portion of the runway. Aircraft may "run-off" the runway during roll-out.
· After landing, aircraft may taxi back to the starting line. Alternatively, aircraft may be carried back to the starting line; however, the team may not leave the pit area to retrieve the aircraft until the aircraft has come to a complete stop, and they are signaled it is "Ok" to retrieve the aircraft by the flight line judge. Aircraft experiencing significant damage during landing will be considered to have completed their flight where they come to rest and may not be “carried” to the starting line to “complete” a lap. Determination of “significant –vs- non-critital” damage will be made by the flight line judges. Aircraft with “significant” damage will not receive a score for that flight. Aircraft with “non-critical” damage may continue to the disassembly task with no penalty.
· Flight altitude must be sufficient for safe terrain clearance and low enough to maintain good visual contact with the aircraft. Decisions on safe flight altitude will be at the discretion of the flight line judges and all rulings will be final.
Additional information is included in the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).
Protest
Procedures
Submitting a protest against a competing team is a serious matter and will be treated as such. Teams may submit a protest to the Contest Administrator at any time during the competition. Protests must be submitted in writing and signed by the team advisor (if present at the competition) or the team captain if a faculty advisor is not present. Protests will be posted for all teams to review.
If the protest is rejected, the submitting team(s) will forfeit one of their remaining flight attempts. If all flight attempts have been used, the team(s) will forfeit their lowest Single Flight score.
Protests and the appropriate penalty (ranging from a requirement to repeat a flight for minor infractions to disqualification from the contest for deliberate attempts to misinform officials or violate the contest rules) will be decided by the Contest Administrator and the Contest Director, in consultation with other Contest Officials. The decision of the Contest Administrator and Contest Director is final.
Design Report:
Each team will submit a judged design report as outlined below. The submission date is contained in the schedule section of this document. Reports must be bound. (Simple spiral bindings are sufficient and preferred; 3-ring binders are not allowed.) All information used for scoring must be in the outlined sections.
Absolute maximum page count for the report is 60 pages, including text, tables, and figures (cover/title page and table of contents is extra). Drawing package may not comprise more than 5 of the pages of the report page limit. All reports will be at least one and one half line spacing, 10-pt Arial font. Tables and figures will also be at least 10-pt Arial font. Margins are at least 1 inch on all sides. All figures must be either half (1/2) page or full (1) page format. No exceptions. Report pages will be 8 1/2 x 11 inch with the exception of the drawing package. The drawing package may be on 11 x 17 inch pages. The 3-view drawing must be on an 11 x 17 inch page. Appendices may not be included. Reports not meeting these requirements will be scored as "1 of 100".
Please note that the judges will be using this
same report outline for evaluating reports. ALL items listed will be
expected to be present, easy to locate and identify, and be well documented in
the report for a maximum score.
Design Report
1.
Executive Summary: (5 points):
Provide a summary of the development of your design. This should be a narrative
description highlighting the major areas in the development process for your
final configuration and a broad description of the range of design alternatives
investigated.
2.
Management Summary (5 points):
Describe the organization of the design team. Provide a chart of design
personnel and assignment areas. Include a (single) milestone chart showing
planned and actual timing of major elements of the design process, including as
a minimum the conceptual design stage, preliminary design stage, detailed
design stage, flight testing and report preparation periods.
3.
Conceptual Design (20 points):
Describe the key elements of the mission requirements (problem statement). Document the alternative configuration
concepts (e.g. biplane, canard, flying wing, pusher -Vs tractor, number of
engines etc.) investigated during the conceptual design stage and the reason
why each concept was considered. Describe and document the numerical figures of
merit (FOM's) used to screen competing concepts, and the mission feature each
FOM was selected to support. Rated Aircraft Cost should be one of
the FOM’s used during the screening
process. Numerical data need not be
extensive at this stage, but should include as a minimum: a final ranking chart
giving the quantitative value of each design for each FOM.
4.
Preliminary Design (30 points):
Document the design parameter and sizing trades investigated during the
preliminary design stage, and why each was felt to be important to the mission.
Describe the analysis methods used. Describe the mission model used and the
predicted performance. Provide estimates of the aircraft lift, drag and
stability characteristics. Document the
design optimization and trade studies conducted and their results.
5.
Detail Design (15 points for discussion items, 10
points for drawing package, 25 points total for the section):
Document component selection and systems architecture selection. Include your
final competition aircraft's Rated Aircraft Cost using the
contest supplied cost model. RAC table
should include all input parameter, intermediate and final computation.
Include a table giving data for the sized aircraft. A copy of this table must be posted by the
team at their “pit” area (poster board).
The table should include;
Geometry: length, span, height, wing area, Aspect Ratio, control volumes
Performance: CL max, L/D max, maximum Rate of Climb, stall speed, maximum
speed, take-off field length (two sets, empty and gross weight)
Weight Statement (airframe, propulsion system, control system, payload system,
payload, empty weight, gross weight)
Systems (radio used, servos used, battery configuration used, motor used,
propeller (nominal), gear ratio (if used))
The Drawing Package will be included with this section and must contain as
a minimum a 3-view drawing of the design in sufficient detail to
indicate aircraft size and configuration; primary structure component size and
location; payload size, location and restraint method; and location of
propulsion and flight control system components.
6.
Manufacturing Plan and processes (10 points):
Document the process selected for manufacture of major components and
assemblies of the final design. Detail the manufacturing processes
investigated, and describe the FOM's used (including but not limited to:
availability, required skill levels and cost) to screen competing concepts.
Describe the analytic methods (cost, skill matrix, scheduling time lines) used
to select the final set of manufacturing processes. Include a manufacturing
milestone chart showing scheduled event timings.
7.
Testing Plan (5 points):
Detail testing objectives, schedules, check-lists, results and any lessons
learned for component and full aircraft testing, both static and dynamic (ie.
in flight).
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