Building a UAV

Nearly finished airframe showing composite construction.

The airplane was made of foam, fiberglass, carbon fiber, Kevlar, and epoxy.  Most parts were formed using a hotwired foam mold and vacuum bagging.  These methods turned out parts that seemed almost indestructible.

Wing being glassed.

In the picture above, you can see the blue wings, which are made of blue foam covered with fiberglass.  The wing was made in three pieces: two halves and a center section.  Each piece was hotwired separately using wood rib template as a guide.  The panels were then sanded, "gooed," and sanded again.  After installing the servo wires and plywood mounts, the whole wing was glassed and bagged.  When the epoxy dried, the edges were sanded smooth.

Fuselage center section and H-beam computer tray being glued.

The forward fuselage was the next component built.  The two fiberglass side panels were cut from a sheet of fiberglass made for the purpose.  The sides of the intake ducts can be seen on the top and bottom of the side panels.  The carbon fiber H-beam was made with foam molds and vacuum bagging.  Eventually the sides of the panels were covered with foam to give the UAV its round shape.  Note how the wing becomes integrated with the fuselage when mounted.  This arrangement has proven to be very durable.

Fuse center section joined to tubular tail section.

The tubular tail section was joined to the center section with a molded Kevlar piece.  The Kevlar was chosen for its yellow color and because it had not been used anywhere else on the airplane.  The rest of the tail tube was carbon fiber.  Random note:  Kevlar is nearly impossible to cut, while carbon fiber melts like butter with a cutoff disk.  The Kevlar chewed up about 6 cutoff disks making the engine hatch.

Tail fins finished and painted.

  The vertical and horizontal tail fins were made from airfoil shaped balsa covered in a combination of fiberglass and carbon fiber.  Heavy weights were used to press them flat while curing.  All of the tail features were oversized to enhance stability and controllability.

 

 


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