Read on to find out more about their 2021 UAS design, overcoming COVID restrictions and more from team member Mahela Prasanna.
How long have you been in the Challenge?
This is our fourth year participating in the UAS Challenge. Our first involvement was in 2018. But in 2019, 2020 our senior teams were unable to make it to the final competition due to Easter Sunday Attack and Covid-19 consecutively.
Tel us more about the UAS you are building for 2021!
We are building a fixed wing inverted V tail UAV from scratch for the past 6 months with a MTOW of 9.6kg. We are planning to carry a payload of 2.5 kg including the air drop box. A rectangular fuselage with high wing configuration and a conventional tricycle landing gear was used with a single pusher type propeller. Payload will be carried outside of the fuselage to reduce the complexity of the design. It consists of 5 major assemblies; fuselage with fixed middle wing made from CFRP, two closed foam end wings, landing gear, two booms, separable tail into 2 parts.
The UAV is designed with 15min endurance with an operational range of 15km. It is designed for a cruise speed of 22ms-1 and the stall speed is 12.2ms-1. We are expecting a take-off distance below 30m.
We tried to go for a CAD based design with the use of 3D printed parts so that the design changes can be done easily. Our fuselage will be made from CFRP tubes and covered with Balsa Sheets. Only 3 Bulk heads will be used and all the electronics, landing gears, wings will be attached to those tubular longerons using the 3D printed parts. We have reduced the use of mechanical joints. Assembling of components will be done using the diameter difference of the tubes and 3D printed joints where possible.
How large is your team?
We are entirely a new team consisting 10 second year Mechanical Engineering undergraduates specialize in Aeronautical Engineering. Each year our academic staff encourages second year students to participate in the competition as this will provide us a good basement for a sound knowledge in designing an aircraft. When we registered for the competition, as first year students we only had a basic idea about theoretical parts. Because of this competition we have satisfactorily improved our theoretical knowledge and now we can design a UAV from scratch by ourselves.
What’s the structure of your team?
As mentioned above our team consists of 10 members and we are privileged with guidance and supervision of three distinguished academic supervisors and a professional Mora Avions Alumnus.
Our team has been divided into 5 major departments; Design, Manufacturing, Integration, Test/Operate and Project Management. A separate person was assigned as the head of each department. And under them 2-3 members will do their work. Each and every member will have a major role and a sub role in another department. The progress will be checked by the heads and the team leader will motivate and evaluate the progress of the whole project.
We are getting a huge support from the university side specially from our Mechanical Engineering Department. They always help us when we have a problem.
What are your objectives for the 2021 UAS Challenge?
Our main objective is to fly the UAV successfully and be among the top 10 teams. None of us have seen an UAV properly due to Covid-19 restrictions. So, we spent lots of time researching about UAVs since the very first day. After the design report submission, we are now in a high confidence with our design and calculations that our UAV will fly definitely as we expected.
We as Mora Avions have understood our potential and we have gained the maximum benefit of the chances we got. All we need is a stage to perform.
As long-term plans, we are hoping to change our team structure next year without limiting it to second year students and be among the top 3 teams. We hope to guide our juniors from the beginning so that they can perform way better than us. We are extremely delighted to partner up with international universities and institutes to conduct research projects and finally to implement a commercial aviation environment in Sri Lanka.
What do you think Mora Avions as a team from Sri Lanka bring to the UAS Challenge in particular?
Each team has their own story. But I think our story is somewhat special. The way we have come so far is not easy and there is still a huge journey ahead. We believe in the combination of Smartness and Hard work. If you have a good team spirit there is nothing to stop you.
Here in Sri Lanka the aviation industry is not well established so there is a huge potential for implementing new business ventures related to this subject. There are lots of talented people waiting for the right opportunity to perform. So, we are bringing that message to the international crowd.
What problems have your team been experiencing with COVID-19 and how have you been overcoming them?
Restrictions to enter the university premises are still there; the main issue we are facing right now is that we are stuck in making the actual UAV as the accessories we need are quite difficult to find locally, so we have to order it online.
However, the next problem is that some items we need are not shipped directly into Sri Lanka and some components will take at least two months to arrive: that’s the thing we worry the most right now. It was difficult to find sponsors in Sri Lanka as there are still not much interested companies in UAV sector and those companies who are available are also facing difficult times with Covid-19. However, now that we have confirmed few partnerships we are willing to place the orders as soon as possible.
Next week onwards we are trying to approach the manufacturing of UAV in another way. And hope to start manufacturing of our 2nd prototype using PVC pipes and Styrofoam according to the actual dimensions. Until we receive the items, we hope to do the testing using that if it flies.
What made you be a part of the UAS Challenge?
A separate stream for Aeronautical Engineering was started in our university under Department of Mechanical Engineering only for 10 students back in 2018. Since then, second year students who are following the above course were encouraged to participate in the competition to gain knowledge and experience. As a result of that we are also participating this year.
What has been your proudest moment at UAS Challenge so far?
In December as I remember we made a 1m wing span prototype with KT foam. For that even it was difficult to find suitable components due to covid restrictions. We made the boom using KT foam and strengthened it with BBQ sticks. And used Sellotape as the covering film. In the very first attempt we were able to get it fly. Before that none of us have made even a RC plane. So that was one of the happiest moments in our journey. When we got full marks for the design review submission we were really pleased and got the confidence that we are going on the correct path.
What would you say to anyone thinking of taking part?
Don’t take this as a competition - if you are dedicated to this project you won’t regret in your whole life. We were like you, we didn’t know much about anything related to UAVs, but after six months the place we are right now is quite impressive. So take this opportunity to learn something new and know the value of a good team spirit.
What advice would you give for your fellow teams?
Work smart while working hard. Most importantly, identify the potential of each member when assigning tasks. Quality matters over quantity. Work as a team, don’t find reasons to give up.
How can we keep up to date with your team?
You can follow our official Mora Avions Facebook page. We have created a WhatsApp group for this year’s participants where more than 10 teams have joined already. If you wish to join, feel free to contact us.
Is there anyone you would like to thank so far?
We are really thankful to our academic supervisors Dr.J.G.A.S.Jayasekara, Prof Nirosh Jayaweera and Dr.Nalaka Samaraweera and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Moratuwa for their continuous support. And we should mention the support given by Mora Avions alumnus Mr. Dakshaka Amarathunga. And also Mr. Wudith Woranga and previous winning Team Hedef’s lead E.Baris Ondes for sharing their experiences.
I would also like to thank Mrs. Kristina Virkolich, Education Projects Executive at IMechE for her continuous guidance. Finally, I would like to make this opportunity to thank all who helped us from even a single word.
Thanks to Mahela and the team for their insights, we wish them the best of luck for the coming UAS Challenge. To keep up to date with their progress, be sure to follow the team on their Twitter and Facebook channels.