1. Design/Build/Fly
SU DBF

2. Agenda What is DBF? Team Goals Mission Requirements Selection Matrices
Regional Competition
SU DBF

3. What is DBF?
Design Build Fly (DBF) is an annual contest run by AIAA
Each year features different missions and design requirements
145 teams from around the world have registered so far
SU DBF is a student run club where all members work together to accomplish the AIAA missions
SU DBF

4. Our Team Goals
Syracuse University’s AIAA DBF Club aims to design and manufacture a pair of aircraft to fulfill AIAA’s mission requirements by mid-March while scoring in the top half of submitted written reports and in the top third of mission scores.
The club also strives to organize a regional competition so that local universities may present their designs and have a chance to learn from each other.
SU DBF

5. Team Structure Chief Engineers Assembly Operations Analysis Testing
Building
SU DBF

6. Design Constraints Propulsion Systems
All components must be commercially available
Propeller driven and electrically powered
NiCad or NiMH batteries must be used
Any cell count, voltage, capacity
No limit to weight of systems
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7. Mission 1 Manufacturing support aircraft flight No payload
Must fly 3 laps in 5 minutes
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8. SU DBF

9. Mission 2 Manufacturing Support Aircraft Payload Delivery Flight
10 minute time limit
Carry sub-assemblies of production aircraft internally
One lap with each sub-assembly group
No limit to number of flights made
Production aircraft battery does not need to be carried
SU DBF

10. Mission 3 Production Aircraft Flight
Carry a 32 oz Gatorade bottle internally
Fly 3 laps in 5 minutes
8.2”
3.7”
SU DBF

11. Bonus Mission Production Aircraft Assembly
First three missions must be successful
Assemble the production aircraft in 2 minutes along with installation of payload
Wing tip test and control systems check
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12. Scoring Rubric Score = (Report Score * TMS)/RAC TMS = (M1*M2*M3+Bonus)
RAC = (EmptyWeight1*BatteryWeight1*N_Component) (EmptyWeight2*BatteryWeight2)
SU DBF

13. Key Design Considerations
Empty weight
Battery weight
Number of production aircraft sub-assemblies
Payload requirements
SU DBF

14. Configuration Selection
Aircraft Configuration
Wing Configuration
Wing Placement
Motor Configuration
Landing Gear Configuration
Tail Configuration
SU DBF

15. Figures of Merit
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16. Aircraft Configuration – Considerations
Monoplane
High aspect ratio, low induced drag, relatively easy to build
Large wingspan, leads to structural weaknesses due to stress, higher profile drag due to more aerodynamic surfaces
SU DBF

17. Aircraft Configuration – Considerations
Biplane
More wing area means smaller wings, easier to break down, more lift-providing surface, more stable
Requires more connections and support, adding weight and drag
SU DBF

18. Aircraft Configuration – Considerations
Triplane
High lift, high stability
High weight and drag, low maneuverability, very complex
SU DBF

19. Aircraft Configuration – Considerations
Flying Wing
Great lift/drag ratio, less parts, less connections and weight, easy to make
Low reparability, incapable of carrying mission payload unless it’s very large
SU DBF

20. Selection Matrices – Aircraft Configuration
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21. Production Plane Monoplane Low Wing Double – Tractor Tail Dragger
Conventional Tail
SU DBF

22. Production Plane Monoplane Low Wing Single – Tractor Tail Dragger
V – Tail
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23. Sizing Program Done in MATLAB with a set of functions
With minimal assumptions is able to predict certain aircraft parameters
Power needed
Score received
Weight of Plane
Optimization is progressing smoothly
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24. Sizing Program to Optimization
Sizing program runs assumptions through list of equations to return desired values
E.g. finding dynamic pressure, lift coefficient, drag coefficient, total drag, power required, number of batteries in series, number of batteries in parallel, and total weight
Optimization graphs were made by plotting a series of values against their imact on RAC
Best values minimize RAC
Plotted cruising velocity, cruising current, and wing area
SU DBF

25. Optimization Graphs
The red line in Graph 3 represents the minimum velocity to maintain flight
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26. Optimization
From the given slides, the optimized current, wing area, and velocity would be:
16 Amps
1 square meter wing area
Fly at ~10 m/s
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27. Risk Mitigation Strategies
Airplane Crashes
Multiple practice flights
Lots of building practice
Mediocre Craftsmanship
Start practicing building by mm/dd
Start with existing designs
Subpar Report
Start writing sections by mm/dd
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28. Regional Competition Tentative date: April 2
Tentative location: Rome, NY
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29. Questions and Comments?
SU DBF