The document summarizes an international collaboration between universities in Colorado, Germany, and Australia to design an unmanned aerial vehicle called the Hyperion. The goals of the project are to investigate new technologies for improved efficiencies, practice global collaboration in education, and design a hybrid propulsion system. Key aspects of the collaboration include distributed design and manufacturing of components across countries and using virtual tools like simulation to facilitate integration with components in different locations.

1. Hyperion UAV: An International Collaboration
Jean Koster,
University of Colorado Boulder
AIAA-ASM 2012, Nashville, TN, January 12, 2012

2. Collaboration
Jean Koster
– University of Colorado Boulder, USA
Claus-Dieter Munz, Ewald Kraemer
– University of Stuttgart, Germany
KC Wong, Dries Verstraete
– University of Sydney Australia
Collaboration
AIAA-ASM 2012

3. Motivation: Green Aviation
NASA’s ERA Goals
Reduce:
Aircraft fuel consumption
Emissions
Noise
Image credit: NASA
…Simultaneously!
“In 2009, … [the] United States flew 704 million passengers, a[1]
number forecast to reach 1.21 billion by 2030.” – NASA Facts
-Motivation-
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4. Motivation: Reduce Noise
Airport Noise Challenge: Aircraft noise regarded most significant hindrance to
National Airspace System
[1]
Image credit: NASA
-Motivation-
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5. Motivation: Reduce Fuel Burn
Fuel Problem:
In 2008
U.S. Commercial air burned 19.7 Billion Gallons
+ D.O.D. burned an additional 4.6 Billion Gallons
250,000,000…
Tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
[1]
Nitrogen Oxide (NOx)
Reduce NOx Emissions: Goals Reduce Fuel Burn:
20% by 2015 33% by 2015
50% by 2020 50% by 2020
[1] [1]
>50% beyond 2025 >70% beyond 2025
-Motivation-
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6. Motivation: Blended Wing Body
[2]
Image credit: NASA
-Motivation-
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7. Purpose
WHY HYPERION?
• Society/ industry needs:
– Aerodynamically & energy efficient aircraft
Image credit: NASA
– Prepare workforce in global environment
• History:
– Colorado students developed hybrid propulsion system
– Boeing interest in follow-the–sun design process
– AIAA-ASM Meeting January 2010, Orlando:
o NASA: “Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) Project”
 Boeing X-48B prominently presented
o Focus on aviation alternative fuels, fuel savings, reduced noise
-Purpose-
AIAA-ASM 2012

8. Global Project
Why a global project?
• Global companies operate Design Bureaus around the world.
– Opportunities to expedite design work on new systems
– Opportunities made available by software and internet
– Opportunities to harvest bright minds
• Manufacturing dispersed in many countries
– For Boeing’s Dreamliner, 28 suppliers are located outside USA
• Wings produced in Japan
• Ailerons produced in Australia
• Fairings produced in Canada
• Doors produced in France and Sweden
• Final assembly in USA
-Purpose-
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9. G.B. Shaw said:
“If you have an apple and I have an apple
and we exchange apples then you and I will
still each have an apple.
But if you have an idea and I have an idea
and we exchange these ideas, then each of
us will have two ideas.”
GBS
AIAA-ASM 2012

10. Global Team
- Purpose -
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11. Goals
Boulder + Stuttgart + Sydney
1. Investigate new technologies for improved capabilities and efficiencies
2. Practice international collaboration in education
Undergraduate CU Team
1. Conceive, design, build, and test a 2nd generation hybrid propulsion
system to be integrated into the Hyperion
Thank you to our sponsors!
-Project Overview-
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12. System Configuration
• Aerodynamic design started by Sydney team See: AIAA-2012-0878
• Raked wingtips & vertical stabilizers designed by Stuttgart team
• Management, electronics, internal structure design & systems integration by CU
•Hybrid-Electric Engine to explore quiet take-off and landings, quiet loitering,
and improved efficiencies (CONOPS dependent)
-Project Overview-
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13. Subsystem Design
Aerodynamics
Manufacturing
Weights
Materials/Structures
Electronics
-Technology Overview-
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14. Schedule
Flight
Start PDR CDR
Testing
-Global Collaboration-
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15. Aerodynamics & Structures
½ Scale Wind Tunnel Model Internal Structure Center Body/Integration
Aerodynamic Validation
Wing Integration/Assembly
CFD Validation
-Technology Overview-
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16. Aerodynamic Analysis
Aerodynamic Requirements: Aerodynamic testing was performed using
L/D greater than 20 multiple methods
Statically stable CFD
Stall velocity less than 15 m/s 1/2 scale wind tunnel testing
Span efficiency (e) greater than 0.8
Wing loading less than 15 kg/m²
-Technology Overview-
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17. Manufacturing: Center Body
Project Goal and Objectives
Distributed Manufacturing
• Negative molds milled • Integration of internal
from CAD-data structure from University
• Fiberglass-foam-core skin of Colorado
laminated by hand
-Technology Overview-
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18. Global Integration Manufacturing
Delocalized manufacturing increases integration risk!
Risk
Mitigation
IDT (Interface Dimension Similar ideas used for
Template) wing manufacturing
• Device used to ensure
German center body Winglet  Wing
matches USA wings
-Integration-
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19. Global Integration
Need: Electronics integration into plane Problem: Plane center body in Germany!
Image
credit:
NASA
Cubesat Broken Down Flat Layout Electronics
Solution
“Flat Sat” Approach (Simulation and Test-bed)
- Used while center body is in Germany -
• Full Scale Mockup of Center Body
• Wire Length and placement
• Hardware placement platform
• Full system testing for electronics
-Global Collaboration-
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20. FTS Example
Colorado Team
• Changes structure component
• Does it meet Requirements? 8 Hours
• What does this mean for manufacturing
and aerodynamics?
Sydney Team
• Evaluates Structural Implications on
Aerodynamic Design 8 Hours
• Proposes design changes
• Provides aerodynamic feedback
8 Hours
Stuttgart Team
• Evaluates Manufacturing implications on
aerodynamic and structural designs
• Proposes design changes
• Provides manufacturing feedback
-Global Collaboration-
AIAA-ASM 2012

21. Hybrid Gas-Electric Engine
Project Goal and Objectives
Objective:
Design, build and test a hybrid propulsion system to be integrated
into the aircraft
Offset drive Coaxial drive
No control system Multiple flight mode control
Focus: Efficiency, proof of Focus: Reliability, operations
concept See: AIAA-2012-0147
-Technology Overview-
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22. Testing
Dynamically (1/2) Scaled Prototype
• Test aircraft capability and
characteristics.
• Identify unforeseen problems.
• Pilot familiarization
• Test: Taxi, takeoff, cruise, land
• Test: Mass sensitivity, cg
• Test: International analysis of data
-Technology Overview-
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23. System Testing
• Electric propulsion
– Hybrid Engine fully bench tested, but not flight tested (maturity)
• R/C Piloted
– Successful takeoff, cruise, and landing
Flight Test
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24. FTS Collaboration Experiment
Pain: Efficiency in Global Industry Collaborations: needs improvement
Concept
3 Teams, distributed 8 hours apart relay work daily.
Follow-the-Sun (FTS), produces 3 work-days in one 24 hour period
Results
• Accelerated project design progress:
o Complete design drawn in CATIA in 5
weeks
o Conceived, designed, manufactured,
and delivered aircraft to customer under
budget and on time
o Inception to Completion ~ 9 Months
-Global Collaboration-
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25. Best Practices
IT Plan Systems Engineering
Concept of Operations Operation
Develop and define
mission phases Verification and
Validation Testing
Project Requirements
Determine
verification method Integration
and develop tests
System Architecture
Manufacturing
Identify subsystem
interfaces and risks
Implement
Project
Detail IT Plan IT Plan
Decomposition
Time
- Integration & Testing -
12
Internet Communication and Cloud File Sharing
-Global Collaboration-
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26. Lessons Learned
Language and Cultural Barriers
Although everyone speaks Englineerish….
Encodes/Writes Decodes/Misinterprets
Message Message
Decodes Message Encodes Counter
Productive Feedback
Cloud Noise Filter Can Cause: Message
-Loss of Tone
-Loss of Intent
-Misinterpretation
-Global Collaboration-
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27. Lessons Learned
Follow-the-Sun (FTS):
• Great for CAD design work
• Ideas across border
• Dynamic positive synergy
• Benefit of diversity in critical thinking
• Helps mitigate risk through smaller team delegation
• Difficult in academic environment due to schedules
Follow-The-Week (FTW)
• Suited for concept designs
• Task assignments to small local teams
• Finished tasks reviewed by global team
• Weekly global team meetings.
-Global Collaboration-
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28. Lessons Learned
• Project needs managerial infrastructure
– Needs strong Project Manager
– MBA candidate on team
– Economics student on team
• Understand international shipping requirements
– ITAR
– Understand international trade and regulations
• Collaboration on “trust” and “respect”
– Limited control over non-local teams’ efforts
– Understand skills and capabilities of partners
– Free sharing of information leads to IP issues
• Planning
– Extend the planning process significantly!
– Better understand skills and capabilities of partners
– Each partner should have own funding
- Global Collaboration-
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29. Conclusion
• Successes:
– Designed, built, and flew HYPERION in 9 months
• Planning for 3 months
• Design layout within 4 months
• Aerodynamics and structures analysis using FTS
• Controls system development
• Delocalized manufacturing in 3 months
• Under mass and finance budgets
• Successful maiden flight
AIAA-ASM 2012

30. Current Development
• Current Project Charter:
– Design and Manufacturing shared by Stuttgart
and Colorado
– New wing design
 From Flying Wing to Blended Wing Body
– Autonomous Control System
– FAA COA
– Integrate hybrid propulsion system and flight
test
- Current -
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31. Acknowledgements
A special thanks to… Skip Miller of Skip Miller Models
Mike Kisska of Boeing James Mack of LASP (Pilot)
Frank Doerner of Boeing
Blaine Rawdon of Boeing
Tom Hagen of Boeing
Dr. Robert Liebeck of Boeing/USC
Steven Yahata of Boeing
Norman Princen of Boeing
Diane Dimeff of eSpace
Brian Taylor of NASA
Joseph Tanner of CU
Trent Yang of RASEI
Dr. Donna Gerren of CU
Prof. Eric Frew of CU
Matt Rhode of CU
Trudy Schwartz of CU
Prof. Claus-Dieter Munz of Stuttgart
Prof. Ewald Kraemer of Stuttgart
Dr. KC Wong of Sydney
Dr. Dries Verstraete of Sydney
-Acknowledgements-
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32. Student Global Team
Derek Nasso Michael Johnson
Julie Price Eric Kenney
E r i c S e r a ni Jeremy Klammer
Tom Wiley Lydia Mcdowell
Richard Zhao Boris Papazov
Kristen Brenner Taylor Petersen
C o r r i na G i b s o n Robert Whitehill
N a t h a n J a s t r am
Michaela Cui Martin Arenz Kai Lehmkuehler
Tyler Drake Holger Kurz M a t t he w A n d e r s o n
A r t h ur K r e u t e r David Pfeiffer J o s hu a B a r n e s
Gavin Kutil M a t t hi a s S e i t z Byron Wilson
Brett Miller Baris Tunali Andrew McCloskey
C o r e y P a c k a rd J o n a s S c h w e ng l e r
M a r c u s R a h i m po ur
Gauravdev Soin
-Team-
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33. Questions?
Contact: jean.koster@colorado.edu

34. Budget
Sponsors
- Budget-
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