Project Overview
URAAN was a team of six undergraduate Mechanical Engineering students from NED University that competed in Propellair 2024 — one of the largest annual student engineering competitions in Karachi, organised by the IMechE NED student chapter. The project involved the complete design, aerodynamic analysis, fabrication, and flight of a radio-controlled fixed-wing aircraft. As co-lead and primary designer, I was responsible for the full SolidWorks model, CFD analysis of the wing and fuselage, FEA of the wing structure, coordinating all six team members, and serving as the primary point of contact with competition judges and organisers.
Challenge
The core engineering challenge was designing an aircraft that could survive the full competition — multiple test flights, acrobatic manoeuvres, and payload tasks — without structural failure. At Propellair 2024, five to eight competing aircraft crashed and were completely destroyed during test or competition flights. Designing for both aerodynamic performance and structural resilience simultaneously required validated analysis before fabrication. As co-lead I also coordinated six team members across design, fabrication, and electronics procurement — ensuring every component was ready on time for competition day.
Solution
Designed the complete aircraft in SolidWorks — wing with NACA aerofoil profile, circular oval fuselage, empennage, and winglets. I specifically proposed and finalised the circular fuselage geometry based on structural reasoning — a round cross-section distributes stress more evenly and produces less parasitic drag than a rectangular section. I also proposed winglets, which reduce induced drag and suppress wingtip vortices — both novel features in the competition's five-year history. CFD analysis of the wing and fuselage was conducted in ANSYS Fluent using a wind tunnel domain, producing velocity and pressure distribution results confirming aerodynamic efficiency. FEA of the wing structure validated structural integrity under expected load conditions. The team then fabricated the aircraft using balsa wood and carbon fibre spars, with electronics selected and integrated under my coordination.
