Silentium

DSE 2018: A Silent Delivery Drone

Bachelor thesis (2018)

Authors

J.I. de Alvear Cardenas Aerospace Engineering
Y. Eggers Aerospace Engineering
P.E.J. van Hoorn Aerospace Engineering
L. Jou Ferrer Aerospace Engineering
E. Oosterhof Aerospace Engineering
R.U.J. Stikker Aerospace Engineering
L. Terenzi Aerospace Engineering
R.R. Veder Aerospace Engineering
L.A.H. Velthausz Aerospace Engineering
H.M. van der Waals Aerospace Engineering

Contributors

F. Avallone Wind Energy - Aerospace Engineering (mentor)
E. Tsiangou Aerospace Structures & Computational Mechanics - Aerospace Engineering (mentor)
Joost Ellerbroek (mentor)
Faculty
Aerospace Engineering
Copyright: © 2018 J.I. de Alvear Cardenas, Y. Eggers, P.E.J. van Hoorn, L. Jou Ferrer, E. Oosterhof, R.U.J. Stikker, L. Terenzi, R.R. Veder, L.A.H. Velthausz, H.M. van der Waals
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Published Date

06-07-2018

Language

English

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Faculty

Aerospace Engineering

Abstract

Major delivery companies such as DHL, UPS or Amazon have been developing small drones to deliver packages. This alternative to truck delivery is expected to start operating in the near future. The advantages of it are its speed, price, safety and sustainability: parcels would not be subjected to traffic and they would be delivered within an hour, it is 10% less expensive and it means a 73% reduction in CO2 emissions when compared to truck delivery, as well as a relieve in the road traffic network. The only drawback is that the noise produced by current drones is deemed by humans as more annoying than car noise due to its high frequency. The mission of the Silent Delivery Drone project is to provide a drone delivery system that is faster, less expensive and has lower emissions than truck delivery while complying with Dutch noise regulations. The presented innovative configuration is a combination of a quadcopter, suitable for Vertically Taking-Off and Landing (VTOL) in densely populated regions, and a flying wing, optimized for the cruise phase. It consists of a horizontal propeller used during cruise and four vertical propellers for VTOL. The drone can carry a payload of up to 2.5 kg, which corresponds to 89% of the packages delivered yearly worldwide. Four packages can be delivered while flying the maximum range of 30 km. Thanks to the low required revolutions per minute, the absolute maximum noise caused by the drone is 58 dBA at take-off from 7.5 m and 25 dBA during cruise from a distance of 120 m. This meets the Dutch night noise regulations which stablish a peak noise level of 65 dBA and average noise level of 40 dBA. We believe that a fleet of Silentium drones would revolutionize the way we perceive package delivery and it would mark the next step towards a greener, smarter and more connected future.