Projeto de bequilha de aerodesign – aspectos de design e seleção de materiais

Abstract

The SAE Brazil Aerodesign competition brings together teams from various universities in Brazil and abroad to develop and test unmanned radio-controlled aircraft, following the specifications outlined in the annually released rulebook. Among the participating teams, Dragão Branco (DB) Aerodesign represents the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar). Aiming to deepen knowledge in structural design, this study developed the conceptual design of the nose landing gear (tailwheel), based on data from the aircraft presented by DB in the 2024 competition. Two prismatic solid-section designs—one circular and the other rectangular—were compared. Material selection for the gear was carried out using the Ashby method, and the structural sizing was later validated through stress analyses using the Finite Element Method (FEM). Results from the Ashby-based material selection, using stiffness and low cost as optimization parameters, indicated that aluminum alloys are the best candidates for this application. Considering the geometries studied and the availability of materials on the market, the 2024-T4 alloy was selected for both proposed designs. The circular cross-section design resulted in lower mass based on the structural calculations. FEM analysis validated both geometries using the von Mises failure criterion, confirming their ability to withstand the stresses imposed during aircraft landing—the most critical condition for this component, as it is subjected to the highest loads. This study contributes to the improvement of future structural designs in the Aerodesign field, offering guidelines for the development of similar components.