TITLE:
Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of UAV Considering Development Costs
AUTHORS:
Zhenxin Hong, Xiaojia Zhao, Hongxin Li
KEYWORDS:
UAV, Development Costs, Multidisciplinary Design and Optimization, Design Application
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Engineering and Technology,
Vol.12 No.4,
November
27,
2024
ABSTRACT: The paper establishes a multidisciplinary design and optimization framework that aims at minimizing Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) development costs. This framework integrates development costs as an equally important factor alongside weight and aerodynamic disciplines within the UAV design process. The OpenMDAO paradigm is employed to facilitate a standalone design and optimization application. A comprehensive multidisciplinary analysis module is developed, encompassing initial geometrical sizing, weight analysis, aerodynamic performance evaluation, and estimation models for development costs. The effectiveness of the framework is validated through a low-cost, high-performance UAV case study. The results demonstrate that neglecting the influence of UAV development costs would be imprudent. By appropriately adjusting design parameters using the optimization algorithm, significant reductions in UAV development costs can be achieved with minimal performance losses.