Integration of Solar Cells in a Composite Wing for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

As a major Canadian aerospace supplier, Record Technology & Development (RTD) is expanding its**manufacturing expertise with composites materials. Especially the design of advanced unmanned aerial**vehicles (UAV) will require the design and fabrication of composite parts that have other elements embedded,**for example radar antennas or solar cells. The direct interface of composites and other materials often creates**challenges, for example due to different behaviors in elastic deformation or thermal expansion. In order to**continue to serve its current customer base and expand into new markets, RTD needs to expand its expertise**with the design and fabrication of advanced composite structures.**The immediate objective of the proposed research project is to design and fabricate a composite wing that**incorporates solar cells. The wing is designed for a small unmanned aerial vehicle with an ultra-long flight**endurance that uses solar cells placed on its upper wing surface to power its propulsion system and to charge**batteries that are located inside the wing. The subsequent weight and structural requirements of the wing are**relatively rigorous, since solar cells cannot accommodate compound bending, that is, along to major axes, for**example due to upper- surface wing camber and spanwise wing bending.**The objective of the proposed research project is to explore different approaches and validate a chosen design**with the fabrication of a demonstrator wing. The suitability of the demonstrator wing will be assessed in**structural and flight tests. The subsequent experience will be invaluable for RTD in their aspirations to expand**into the market of small advanced UAVs. The anticipated customer demand is significant for RTD.**Subsequently, Record Technology & Development will be able to continue to grow as a successful Canadian**company that serves a rapidly expanding worldwide market of unmanned aerial vehicles.