Stress and Strain Analysis of UAV Hexacopter Frame Using Finite Element Method

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone is an aircraft driven without a pilot and its design process requires calculating the strength of the frame structure to accommodate the load to be carried in different weather conditions. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the strength and durability of UAV Hexacopter frame during flight through a stress and strain analysis conducted using the Finite Element Method. The materials used include carbon fiber, magnesium alloy AZ91D-F, and aluminum casting A356.0-T6 with the loads varied separately at the end of each of their arms and centers. The maximum stress value from the simulation of the load on these parts was found to be 2.80 MPa and 6.38 MPa for the carbon fiber material, 2. 66 MPa and 6.11 MPa for magnesium alloy AZ91D-F, and 2.68 MPa and 6.15 MPa for aluminum casting A356.0-T6 respectively. Moreover, the yield strength for the carbon fiber material was 22300 MPa, Magnesium alloy AZ91D-F was 150 MPa, and Aluminum casting A356.0-T6 was 152 MPa and these values were considered safe. These results showed that the material with the highest strength value is Carbon fiber material but the Magnesium alloy AZ91D-F and Aluminum casting A356.0-T6 can also be used as alternative materials to produce UAV frames.