Experiential Capture

9/25/17

I would like to learn more about RC aviation. This could come in many different forms. One example would be creating new types of VTOL, or experimenting with different types of propulsion. I have a good amount of experience with building various special RC planes, and so I would like to incorporate this into my caps project somehow. However, my project may steer away from this general idea. I would like this project to be somehow beneficial in some manner other than my personal questions.

What are the benefits of the VTOL?

What are the problems with VTOL currently? - Noise, Big propellers for tilt rotors, mechanical complexity, safety,

Where can I innovate / research in the RC field?

• Stable designs
• Efficient designs - in terms of weight and etc
• Least invasive
• Practical
• New on COG type of stability

Connect with the unstallable wing

10/5/17

I may be looking into a topic that is too generic. I think I may need an application for my answer. Essentially, I need a better or stronger question that I am crafting an answer to. I think that the flying car concept may prove to be this question and answer. Maybe looking into a combination of VTOL/Unstallable Wing/Flying car hybrid. (Para motors may prove useful in this as well) Overall, my topic needs to be research friendly while still having value.

Connect to other future vehicle concepts

Look at viability

Future of air travel

Maybe not flying cars of all things...

NOTES:

• Not VTOL as a whole - too Big.
• One specific part/feature of the bigger picture - like one type of propulsion kind of deal (aka NOT flying cars)

https://senior-capstone.dapulse.com/boards/58932630

Ted Talk Notes:

• Opening - Demonstration
• Story - Demo, purpose, current condition, demonstration
• Slides - Videos to show other examples
• Data - Dates, and other soft data
• Audiance - Demos
• Closure - Demos

10/24/17

This week I would like to refine my question to a usable, good question. I would also Like to finish gathering all of my resources and annotating 8 -10 sources fully.

The following weeks I would like to do around 14 sources per week.

11/27/17

A comment on this goal: It is too ambitious to complete without putting in time outside of class. I need to keep this in mind in the future.

Focus Of Lit Review:

• To explain VTOL and discuss my project relating to it

Question:

• How can VTOL be used in society?
• Should VTOL be implemented into commercial transportation?
• How should VTOL be implemented into commercial transportation if at all?
• If at all, how should VTOL be implemented into commercial transportation?

Need to find direction. Losing purpose of project. Don't want to be another "simple" VTOL plane. - This is the root of the problem. Overall PURPOSE! From this derive the question.

Great ex: motor driven surf board - prototyping, testing, build, finalize

Me right now: Another purposeless plane that will have no overall effect on anything. Purposeless because I have no ability to change this field or design due to my lack of knowledge of aerodynamics. This kind of knowledge is college level stuff - so how find purpose in this notch?

Potential designs:

• Un-stallable
• Motor vectoring - no control surfaces - efficiency??

11/27/17

I need to update the annotated bibliography on the website. It is currently located in another google doc and it should be relatively easy to transfer onto the website. In other news, I think I have found my purpose with this project. I am not interested in making another simple and proven RC VTOL plane. I want to try something new entirely. I was intrigued by Elon Musk's idea for a VTOL plane that required no control surfaces (The viability of this idea is another question). But, something similar that is a unique idea or design will hold the answer for my purpose and my project. This has been the big break through that I have stumbled upon recently. I will try to follow this path and see where it leads me.

Primary Research Goals:

• 11/27/17 - V1.0 - Make and test a (or multiple) new strategy for a VTOL vehicle and to gather data and conclusions based on the new design.

Primary Research Questions:

• who?
  • Me.
• What?
  • VTOL Plane. The exact design is not certain yet.
• When?
  • Late December - April.
• Where?
  • Built at my house probably, but flown elsewhere. It can be flows at the baker's meadow field.
• Why?
  • Attempt and create a successful VTOL plane and to analyze it for its benefits and drawbacks.

12/15/17

The lit review was yesterday. It did not go very well. It did give me some good advice but mostly it helped give me perspective.

12/19/17

Now I need to create a plan and begin primary research. I am interested to when we are going to properly "fix" out presentations and lit reviews. Unfortunately, mine needs to be refined. The idea, however, is there.

Post Mort:

• Explain benefits more
• Explain "use in society" more
• Name drop
• History component?
• Explain "freedom to fly anywhere"
• Explain companies more
• Initial problem?
• Numbers to back up insights?
• Balance information

12/20/17

TO DO:

• Create Plan
• Begin Designs

Plan

(Every 2 weeks, UPDATED 12/20/17)

1/1/18 - Finish designs + Start/Finish 3D printing designs necessary + Begin construction

1/15/18 - Continue construction + Finish construction

1/29/18 - Testing + Final additions + WORK THROUGH PROBLEMS

2/12/18 - Testing + Repairing + Data collection + Data analysis

2/26/18 - Update designs with knowledge + Test new version

3/5/18 - DESIGN NUMBER 2 Begin + Finish construction

3/19/18 - WORK THROUGH PROBLEMS + Testing + Repairing + Data collection + Data analysis

4/2/18 - DESIGN NUMBER 2 Begin + Finish construction

4/16/18 - WORK THROUGH PROBLEMS + Testing + Repairing + Data collection + Data analysis

4/30/18 - (Extra time for when I do not complete previous tasks on schedule)

5/7/18 - CONCLUSIONS

1/30/18

UPDATES

• Learned lofting techniques to be able to CAD wings, and complex fuselages
  • Very helpful and hard to learn
• Created universal design
  • Combine with older "EDF foot" articulating motor design with canard and or panel design - GOOD IDEA???
    • My reaction to developing design - I believe it is very promising either with panel or canard. It is probably the most unique design and the one with the most potential thus far I have created.
• Ordered bearings for fine motor articulation + arrived

1/31/18

• I am working with betaflight to see if there is an easy way to run VTOL software. I have found out that I can use betaflight to control bicopters, tricopter, and many more configurations separately. Once each configuration of a design is tested then I will be able to combine the two to form a true VTOL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfK45njTUMg

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2800981-VTOL-Stryker-using-Betaflight

3/20/18

Presentation reflections:

• Our information was well detailed
• The slides I did were well used with a good combination of pictures and text
• We spoke well and were able to bounce off of each other's points well
• The main improvement points were:
  • Story
    • Although I did not receive this as feedback for my literature review, this would help improve my literature review as well. Presenting with a story helps keep the audience more engaged and this will help them remember your point and relate to it more.
  • Context
    • This is a similar point as my literature review. Context is key to put things into perspective and successfully convince the audience that your point is true

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qL9w0w4it71lTOOaZcURHSZhW6AgHh9sIk9YQDYv-bY/edit?usp=sharing

3/10/18

Planning and Dates:

• 3/19 - Finish first version of VTOL
• 3/26 - Test VTOL + (Expected to not work and need revisions to make work)
• 4/2 - Continue Testing and finalize this VTOL version + draw conclusions
• 4/9 - Begin working on part 2 of first prototype (Converting to tricopter) OR Begin next design
• 4/16 - Test / Finalize / Repair / Draw conclusions - Finish version 2 (Because this is the week off)
• 4/23 - IF POSSIBLE: Test a version 3 ideally maybe for a new aspect not previously tested(scale? flight time?)
  • If not possible - Continue testing / Data collection / Draw final conclusions
• 4/30 - Begin part 5 and finish started sections from earlier
• 5/7 - Continue revising paper
• 5/9 -FULL PAPER IS DUE

3/26/18

Worked on continuing the design of the VTOL conversion to a tricopter. Also found a COG calculator for a canard plane:

• https://www.ecalc.ch/cgcalc.php?deeplink=Velocity%20XL%20(Example);mm;270;270;140;40;0;0;0;160;320;0;0;60;130;280;0;0;c;45;45;0;0;0;0;0;0;0;0;0;235;0;0;0;0;-150;25;15;

4/24/18

MAJOR UPDATE

Over the past week I have finished the construction of the first VTOL prototype bicopter design. In addition, the design was tested for its hovering capabilities. I encountered many problems and roadblocks from my initial designs to how the VTOL works now. It has been a lot of effort to get this far but there is still much more to go. After completing this initial primary research later VTOL designs will be much easier due to my acquired knowledge and experience

Problems discovered and resolved with initial concept:

• Conflicting PWM signals
• Not enough rotation of motors
• Weak frame
• Getting signal to the servos from the flight controller

*These problems will be addressed in more detail in Part 3 + 4 of the Capstone Writing*

Current Problems:

• Pitch axis correction
  • Center of gravity (Y axis)

5/8/18

The flying design was fixed! The following video shows it hovering inside for around 20 seconds. This is a very successful demonstration and this shows the bicopter mode working properly. This success was achievable by adding a significant amount of weight 5 inches below the wing itself attached to a pool noodle.

This is a very big deal for the success and progression of the project.

Unfortunately, I have made changes to the design that have stopped the hovering abilities from working. I had to make it so that the servos could turn the motors more to allow a successful transition into "plane" mode. This has caused for the plane to become unstable when hovering and it has not properly worked since this change. I am currently working to PID tune the system to hopefully allow the design to work.

I have also begun work on the version 2.0 system. This new design will allow the COG to be the lowest possible without requiring excessive amounts of extra weight. The above pictures are of the new design in progress.

Why a conventional plane design is better:

• Easier to get a lower COG
  • Lighter weight = better performance
• Will fly better in plane mode because it includes an airfoil
• New design includes less surface area near the propellers
  • Hopefully this will allow the design deal better with wind and airflow over the surfaces
• 
  

IDEAS TO SOLVE PROBLEM: RAISE D GAIN = more damping - stops oscillations && = High P - High D