Dept. of Aeronautical Engineering, NFU

Detailed Description: Long-Endurance Solar UAV 25 Hours 53 Minutes Flight Verification Poster

Title: Long-Endurance Solar UAV — 25 Hours 53 Minutes Flight Verification

Executing Units: MoonFlyer Laboratory, Department of Aircraft Engineering, National Formosa University; CVUT Prague, Department of Transportation; Hutron Precision Engineering

Advisors: Assoc. Prof. Lin Chung-Yen, doc. Ing. Jakub Kraus

Team Members: Chen Yu-Jen, Ling Li-Ming, Chung Jui-Chen, Chang Wei-Chieh, Chu En-De, Reyhan Athalla, Karel Hylmar, Daniel Urban

Aircraft Specifications:

• Model: Solar-Power Aircraft V4
• Cruise Speed: 10–11 m/s
• Wing Span: 5 meters
• Propulsion System: T-Motor U7II 280KV
• Flight Control: Pixhawk 6C Mini
• Takeoff Weight: approximately 7.5 kg

Project Overview: This project is a Long-Endurance Solar UAV research aiming to develop a solar UAV that can fly at low altitudes with extended endurance to establish full-day continuous flight. The flight was conducted in the Czech Republic and achieved a flight time of 25 hours 53 minutes, breaking the previous Taiwan record and Czech Republic record. The UAV is equipped with a solar panel area of 1.33 m² with a conversion efficiency of 15%, a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) system, a current monitoring module, and night-time navigation lights. The lithium battery uses 21700 cells in a 6P configuration, with a total capacity of 840 Wh.

Development Timeline: The image includes six photos of different aircraft iterations from different years, labeled in sequence as 2015–16, 2017 (two photos), 2017, 2019, and 2020, showing the year-by-year evolution of the aircraft's design since 2015.

Manufacture and Ground Test: The image includes multiple photos showing the assembly of solar panels on the wing, fabrication of the fuselage structure, team group photos, and close-ups of the solar panel circuitry, depicting the manufacturing process of the wing and fuselage in the workshop.

Flight Tests in Taiwan:

• Date: June 1, 2024
• Location: HuWei, YuLin
• Weather: Clear Sky
• Wind Velocity: 1–3 m/s
• Pilot: Jason Chung
• Ground Station: Mo Haoan, Chen Youren

This section also includes two photos of the aircraft during a test flight in Taiwan and a team member holding the fuselage.

Flight Test in Czech Republic:

• Date: 2024/07/03
• Test Flight Location: LKPC - Panenský Týnec Airport
• Departure Time/Takeoff: 11:04 (CEST)
• Arrival Time/Landing: 12:56 (CEST)
• Flight Duration: 2 hours
• Weather: Clear Sky
• Wind Velocity: 1–3 m/s

This section includes four photos showing the aircraft taking off, in flight, and the ground team posing together (including the Taiwan flag).

First Flight Attempt of the Flight Record:

• Date: 2024/07/05
• Test Flight Location: Letiště Břeclav (LKBA; BŘE)
• Departure Time/Takeoff: 00:30 (CEST)
• Arrival Time/Landing: 13:55 (CEST)
• Flight Duration: 13 hours 25 minutes
• Weather: Clear Sky
• Wind Velocity: 1–3 m/s (100°)
• Pilot: Jason Chung
• Ground Station: Chen Youren

This section includes photos of nighttime takeoff preparation and daytime ground crew operations.

26 Hours Flight Record (actual flight time 25 hours 53 minutes):

• Date: 2024/07/10
• Test Flight Location: Letiště Břeclav (LKBA; BŘE)
• Departure Time/Takeoff: 03:14 (CEST)
• Arrival Time/Landing: 05:07 (CEST) the following day
• Flight Duration: 25 hours 53 minutes
• Weather: Clear Sky, windy
• Wind Velocity: 4–7 m/s in the early morning, 6–11 m/s during the day
• Pilot: Jason Chung
• Ground Station: All the people involved

This section includes multiple photos of the nighttime takeoff illuminated by vehicle headlights, the UAV's navigation light trail visible against a cloudy sky, and a daytime team group photo (holding the fuselage and a flag), documenting the entire day-and-night flight verification process.

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Detailed Description: 25kg-Class UAV Training System Airframe System Integration and Manufacturing Poster

Project Title: Airframe System Integration and Manufacturing of a 25kg-Class UAV Training System

Executing Unit: MoonFlyer Laboratory, Department of Aircraft Engineering, National Formosa University

Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Lin Chung-Yen

Team Members: Yang Sheng-Hung, Shao Hsin-Fang Alibananda, Li Bo-Sheng, Cheng Erh-Yueh, Wu Bo-Lin, Wang Chen-Rung, Chao Tzu-Hsiang, Wu Szu-Hsien, Fan Hui-Shuo, Lin Kun-Ying, Chang Ching-Hsiang

Aircraft Specifications:

• Wing Span: 3600 mm
• Overall Length: 2700 mm
• Main Wing Area: 1.6128 m²
• Airspeed Range: 12–30 m/s
• Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW): 25 kg
• Motor: RUM 8060 200kv, dual units in a front-pull rear-push configuration
• ESC: RUMC 115A 12S
• Propeller: 20x10, dual units in a front-pull rear-push configuration
• Battery: P50B 12S8P 48V 40000mAh
• Wing Lift-to-Drag Ratio: 18.5

Design Diagrams: The image includes four technical diagrams: a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) wing aerodynamic analysis showing surface pressure distribution in a red-yellow-blue color scale; an early conceptual sketch showing a three-view wireframe design of the fuselage and tail; a three-view structural design (front, top, and side views); and an isometric CAD structural view showing the complete airframe structure in 3D, including the fuselage skeleton, wing ribs, and tail support frame.

Manufacturing Notes: The first prototype primarily uses a composite structure made of wood and carbon fiber. Most structural components will be converted to composite materials after the design is finalized.

Manufacturing Process Photos: The image includes multiple photos of the team assembling the wing frame, fuselage, and tail structure at the workshop, showing various stages of assembling the wing truss, fuselage shell, and tail.

Flight Test Photos: The image includes four photos of the UAV taking off on a grass runway, in flight, and team members posing with the assembled aircraft.

Future Plans: The same platform could become a long-endurance platform in the future, providing communication or surveillance functions. The project plans to verify the performance of the airframe design and manufacturing through a cross-sea flight demonstration between Green Island and Turtle Island as a technology showcase.

The image also includes a map of Taiwan marking the planned measurement route along the coastline from the north to the south, with a total distance of 290.17 km (180.30 miles), with a note reading "click on the map to add a new route."

Design References and Technical Features:

• Referenced MIT Beaver Works and the long-endurance aircraft "Fengru III" from Beihang University
• This aircraft is an improved version of the record-setting aircraft from July 2024, with the following improvements:
  • New 21700 Molicel P50 batteries (5000mAh 10C) with higher energy storage and discharge capacity
  • Composite fuselage and wing leading edges
  • Hybrid gasoline-electric propulsion, without landing gear, launched from a vehicle-mounted takeoff rack
  • Increased chord length and wingspan, enlarging wing area to reduce wing loading and improve high-altitude performance

This section also includes two photos of the aircraft in flight, and a 3D structural rendering of the improved aircraft, showing the H-tail configuration and enlarged wing design.

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Detailed Description: 8kg Electric VTOL Cargo Drone Airframe Design and Manufacturing Poster

Title: Design and Manufacturing of an 8kg Electric VTOL Cargo Drone Airframe

Collaborating Units: Hutron Precision Engineering; MoonFlyer Laboratory, National Formosa University

Project Overview:

• This project involves designing and manufacturing an electric cargo drone, targeting delivery within a 30-km range within 30 minutes, with a payload capacity of 1 to 2 kg.
• The drone adopts a modular structure to improve production efficiency and reduce maintenance costs.
• The wing and boom frame design accounts for the torque generated by rotor operation, and 3D printing technology is used to improve aerodynamic efficiency.
• The interior of the fuselage is divided into four compartments to ensure the stable operation of each system.
• The validated prototype is constructed using aviation plywood, carbon fiber composite materials, and 3D-printed components.
• The drone uses 21700 lithium-ion batteries as its power source, ensuring stable power supply under high-load operation while improving performance and control costs.
• The design and testing of this drone have completed preliminary flight tests. Cargo delivery tests will follow, with further development, and it is expected to become an important tool for solving regional logistics challenges.

Wing and Boom Frame Design:

• For VTOL aircraft, the wing must withstand the significant torque generated during rotor operation.
• The vertical propulsion system forms the core structure supporting the four-axis motors.
• A 22mm-diameter carbon fiber tube serves as the main structure, combined with 3D-printed motor mounts. This design accounts for the vibration and thrust generated by the motors.
• The design references recommendations from Roskam's "Airplane Design PART III," using ANSYS to simulate the wing and boom frame structure.
• The positions of the main spar and secondary spar can be calculated using a structural mechanics formula involving the integral of distributed stress along the spar.

Horizontal Tail Design: The required tail length is calculated using aerodynamic formulas to ensure flight stability. The vertical tail design is based on the tail volume coefficient formula. Unlike common A-tail configurations, this design uses an H-tail configuration, which has clear advantages in weight and vibration suppression. CFD verification showed that the H-tail only increases drag by 1–2% compared to the more common A-tail, but its advantages are significant, so the H-tail was adopted. This section also includes two CFD pressure distribution simulation diagrams comparing the pressure coefficients (Delta-Cp) of the A-tail and H-tail designs.

Structural Design: Considering future mass production, the drone is designed with a modular structure divided into six main components: inner wing, outer wing, boom frame, fuselage, vertical tail, and horizontal tail. Different components can be produced and replaced individually, reducing production and maintenance costs.

Delivery Range Planning: The image includes a map of the Yunlin area marking a test delivery route starting from Qingpu Village, passing through multiple townships, with a total distance of approximately 30.99 km (19.26 miles), and marking the time and distance required for each segment along the route.

Diagrams and Photos: The image includes multiple items: outdoor flight test photos of the drone (with a green cargo box attached to the fuselage); an aerial photo of the drone in flight; a 3D structural cutaway diagram (showing the internal compartments and skeleton of the fuselage); a finite element structural stress analysis diagram of the wing (ANSYS simulation, showing a heat-map style stress distribution under load); a diagram illustrating the spar stress integral formula; multiple photos documenting the prototype assembly process (fuselage and wing assembly, electronic system installation on a workbench); engineering drawings of the aircraft (including three-view drawings and system layout diagrams); and a photo of the drone flying at low altitude against a backdrop of green mountains.

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