| Abstract [eng] |
There is a growing interest in the field of Aerial Manipulation systems where standard Unmanned Aerial Vehicles work in parallel with attached robotic manipulators in order to achieve tasks with the supervision or minimum supervision of the operating personnel. Such systems can be introduced in the field of Non-Destructive Testing and provide an alternative solution in monitoring the current state of systems and structures. This research project presents the design of a customized Unmanned Aerial Vehicle able to carry multiple payloads up to 3kg. The first chapter presents various Non-Destructive testing techniques and their implementation with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. In the second chapter, a brief introduction on UAV’s and the implementation of a compact customized system made for Aerial Thermography is presented. In the third chapter, an improved design was made in order to carry a fully functional 4 DOF manipulator. Firstly, the proposed design was tested via finite element analysis (FEA) in order to confirm the rigidity of the drone frame under various flight states and under maximum load carried by the drone. The results of the FEA presented sufficient rigidity during take-off, hovering, and pitch states. Then the components required for implementing the system were selected and the wiring diagram of the system is presented. The design and simulation of the robotic manipulator is presented next as well as the complete assembly of the proposed system. Finally, the cost of manufacturing the parts required for assembly of the UAV and robotic manipulator frames, as well as the cost of all electronic components, is calculated. |
