Hiring Institution
Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO)

PhD-Awarding Institutions
Université de Toulouse
RMIT University (RMIT)

Download the full Position Description

Option 1

Impact and fragmentation behaviour of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) against soft targets for safety assessment
This sub-project of this research subject will be composed of 4 parts:

I Drone scale (structure)
Numerical modeling & Experimentation
– analyses and comparisons of the numerical modeling methods/strategies
This part notably includes an analysis on the local modeling of the rupture/fragmentation at the material scale described hereafter.

II Material scale (part related to our composite themes + fragmentation)
Advanced numerical modeling & numerical experimentation
– Choice of classic materials (based on carbon fiber) versus eco-materials (based on flax fibers)
– Definition and fragmentation tests
– Identification of modes of ruins/fragmentation at the material scale
– Proposal of scenarios and associated rupture laws
– Fragmentation modeling method [10]
The objective of this part is to provide one or more failure models applicable to the scale of the UAV structure, based on data from literature.

III Synthesis (bottom-up)
The models developed in part II will be applied to the global models produced in part I. These models must make it possible to compare the criticality of the drone crash on different instrumented targets (instrumented plate, plasticine, etc.)
Application to qualifying tests (crash studies, collisions on targets):
The numerical modeling strategies at the structure scale must include methods (at the material scale) of fragmentation of the impacting drone.

IV Expected results (see with “delair” compagny)
– modify the design of drones: design guide according to the application
– Numerical qualification of criticality for the impacting drone or/and for the impacted structure

Scientific thematic approach: In order to provide behavior models in structural analyses, different models can be used, particularly at different scales. Each type of model requires data that will lead to experimental identification and validation by associated numerical mode.

For more information on this project, download the full Position Description in PDF.

Option 2

Computational Methods for modelling impact and fragmentation behaviour of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) against soft targets for safety assessment

This sub-project of this research proposal will be composed of the parts detailed below:

I Drone scale (structure)
Numerical modeling & Experimentation
– analyses and comparisons of the numerical modeling methods/strategies
This part notably includes an analysis on the local modeling of the rupture/fragmentation at the material scale described hereafter.

II Material scale (part related to our composite themes + fragmentation)
Advanced numerical modeling & numerical experimentation
– Choice of classic materials (based on carbon fiber) versus eco-materials (based on flax fibers)
– Definition and fragmentation tests
– Identification of modes of ruins/fragmentation at the material scale
– Proposal of scenarios and associated rupture laws
– Fragmentation modeling method [10]
The objective of this part is to provide one or more failure models applicable to the scale of the UAV structure, based on data from literature.

III Synthesis (bottom-up)
The models developed in part II will be applied to the global models produced in part I. These models must make it possible to compare the criticality of the drone crash on different instrumented targets (instrumented plate, plasticine, etc.)
Application to qualifying tests (crash studies, collisions on targets):
The numerical modeling strategies at the structure scale must include methods (at the material scale) of fragmentation of the impacting drone.

IV Expected results (see with “delair” compagny):
– modify the design of drones: design guide according to the application
– Numerical qualification of criticality for the impacting drone or/and for the impacted structure

Scientific thematic approach: In order to provide behavior models in structural analyses, different models can be used, particularly at different scales. Each type of model requires data that will lead to experimental identification and validation by associated numerical model.

For more information on this project, download the full Position Description in PDF.

Option 3

Structural optimization and additive manufacturing of UAVs for design and safety assessment relating to impact resistance on soft targets

The sub-project of the research subject will be composed of the parts detailed below:

I Drone scale (structure)
Experimental approach
– Choice of classic materials (based on carbon fiber) and eco-materials (based on flax fibers)
– Additive manufacturing of structural UAV.
– Experimental: multi-instrumented crash test (camera, gauge, accelerometer)
– On rigid wall plate structure, drop tower, crossbow etc.
– Representative soft structures (humans, dummy, plasticine) + Aero structures
– Identification of modes of ruins/fragmentation at the structure/drone scale
– Quantify the criticality
Numerical approach
– Structural optimization (micro/macro-architectures, etc.)
– Test-calculation comparison, with optimized architectures including safety criteria.

II Material scale (part related to our composite themes + fragmentation)
Experimentation
– Additive manufacturing of the new designs compatible with the making processes.
– Definition and fragmentation tests
– Identification of modes of ruins/fragmentation at the material scale
– Proposal of scenarios and associated rupture laws
Numerical modeling
– Fragmentation modeling method [10]
– Test-calculation comparison
– Numerical topologic optimization
The objective of this part is to provide one or more failure models applicable to the scale of the UAV structure.

III Expected results (see with “delair” compagny)
– modify the design of drones: design guide according to the application
– numerical qualification of criticality for the impacting drone or/and for the impacted structure
– define flight domains according to criticality and standard (certifications)

For more information on this project, download the full Position Description in PDF.

Christine Espinosa
Frédéric Lachaud
Miguel Charlotte
Raj Das

Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering