My portfolio showcases various technical projects I have worked on over the last few years along with my professional experience at Renewable Innovations, Whisper Aero, and Jupiter Research. These highlight the skills I have learned and their applications in various academic and real-world problems.
Digital Design of Kitty Hawk Heaviside H2 for Fuselage Topological Optimization Study
Kittyhawk Heaviside is one of the few vehicles that have been extensively flight-tested and is a benchmark for validating the UAM technology. The vehicle design is more focused on personal transportation than a ride-sharing platform, unlike other competitors. Unfortunately, Kitty Hawk was shut down in 2022.
This model is prepared from publicly available resources, patent information, and images and is intended to be used as a free resource for doing further engineering/market analysis. This model was used to undertake a fuselage structural concept using topology optimization in Ansys. The flight loads were estimated using the publicly available performance numbers and applied with flight scenarios to obtain a sound design.
Model available at OpenVSP hangar: http://hangar.openvsp.org/vspfiles/557
Digital Design of Joby S4
Joby Aviation is a new-age aerospace company leading the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) space with its S4 EVTOL vehicle. The Joby S4 is a six-prop, electric propulsion aircraft with tilt-rotors for vertical take-off and landing. It can carry one pilot and 4 passengers with a claimed cruise speed of 200mph and 150 miles of range. The vehicle is currently being flight tested and is in the process of being certified by the FAA.
The model is being created using OpenVSP and processed through VSPAero for detailed analysis for aerodynamic, and structural analysis. I did similar modeling and analysis work for more than 40 aircraft for Whisper Aero, an exciting new startup developing the next generation of electric ducted fans (EDF) that are quieter and more efficient than other electric propulsion methods.
The aim of this project is to understand the design of this pioneering EVTOL.
Ref: (1) https://evtol.news/joby-s4
(2) https://www.jobyaviation.com/
Digital Design of Wickham Model-B
Wickham Model B is an experimental, home-built twin-engine aircraft designed and built by Boeing engineer Jim Wickham in the late 1950s around Seattle, Washington. Mr. Wickham was a well-respected personality in the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) circle for his detail-oriented aircraft design. In many ways, Mr. Wickham was ahead of his time in the ability to design and build stable, economical, and fast aircraft in the 1950s-1960s. Case in point: The Wickham model B, first flown in the 1960s, can match or even outperform Tecnam P2006T, a modern composite aircraft that was FAR Part 23 certified in 2010.
I finished digitally recreating the Wickham Model B aircraft so that the digital models can be used for aerodynamic, and structural analysis or for future references. The aim of this project is to understand the design philosophy of Mr. Wickham and learn valuable engineering lessons that can be applied to future aircraft designs.
Ref: (1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wickham_B
(2) http://all-aero.com/index.php/56-planes-v-w/13280-wickham-model-b
(3) http://eaaforums.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=8483&d=1592585029
Master’s Thesis: Design of Wings for Jump-Gliding in a Laminate, Bipedal Robot
I was a member of ASU IDEALAB under Prof. Daniel Aukes. We worked on developing robots that integrate bioinspired foldable, compliant, laminate manufacturing techniques (think origami). I worked on the design of a wing-stabilized, two-legged platform that would walk, run, hop, and jump. The aim of the project is to generate a reliable model for recreating multiple designs optimized for various phases of locomotion as required. The developed design proposes a unique un-actuated mechanism design for the self-deployment of wings during the jump phase.
The project began in Fall 2019 and is a part of my thesis project for completion of the M.S. degree at ASU. The thesis project focused on the application of the compliant, anisotropic linkage with the detailed aerodynamic design of wings for jump-gliding and the development of a Python dynamics model. The Python model was developed using Python SymPy, SciPy, and NumPy libraries to solve equations of motion for the body obtained by Kane’s method. The dynamics model was validated by testing the wing prototype designs, along with wing sizing optimization.
http://idealab.asu.edu/
Design of a multi-domain Tank-Quadcopter Drone
The project involved the design of a drone having two modes of motion: aerial motion using quadcopter configuration and terrestrial motion using tank tracks; with power to carry a payload of 10-12 kgs. I was responsible for the configuration, and chassis design along with the aero-propulsion system. The challenge of the project was to optimize the system parameters to maximize performance, and endurance which was done with selective application of composite materials. The drone was to be primarily made from aluminum, with composite reinforcements to reduce costs. Most of the design and assembly of the drone was done on PTC Creo while the mechanical analysis was done on ANSYS software with iterative design reviews.
[ Image Left to Right: (1) Support Plate for Tank Tracks ; (2) Quadcopter mount plate. Both design iterations were made in PTC Creo. (3) Complete structural assembly configuration for illustration purposes. ]
Calibration and Experimentation on Low-Speed Wind Tunnel
The project was undertaken as the Senior year design project for completion of my undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. It involved the calibration of an existing open-circuit, subsonic wind tunnel. The load cells sensing the force exerted on the mount were calibrated by the construction of a load pulley system to find any possible error percentage and noise, which was later adjusted in the data collected. We undertook design experiments on various sections such as the surface pressure gradient of submerged bodies to understand fluid physics and tried using various flow-visualization methods.
[ Image Left to Right: (1)Open-circuit wind tunnel ; (2) Tube apparatus for surface pressure gradient measurement ; (3) Flow visualization over a UIUC high-lift aerofoil ]
CAD Intern and Component Design at AMFW Ltd.
During my undergraduate studies, I was employed as a CAD Intern at Amey Manufacturing & Fabrication Works Ltd. in 2016. I worked on CAD modeling and production drawings of parts for CNC, and VMC manufacturing of farming machinery and production equipment. The work included 2D as well as 3D component design on the PTC CREO platform with strict industry formatting, geometric tolerances with DFM protocols and Kaizen along with the creation of detailed drafts of production drawings. The produced engineering drawings used by the inspection & quality department as well as on fabrication floors by CNC machine operators and were regularly reviewed by clients.
This internship was my first experience as a mechanical design engineer in an industrial production environment, where I learned the crucial lessons of professionalism, team communication, and troubleshooting.
Parametric Design of Transonic Wing
The goal of this project was to design a wing that met the lift criterion at cruise conditions with subcritical flow over the upper surface of the wing and an elliptical lift distribution. An iterative process using the concepts of superposition and perturbation effects was employed here.
A potential flow panel method code called ‘VORLAX’ was used to determine the effectiveness of the aerodynamic perturbations incorporated in each iteration and the perturbation that should be incorporated into the next iteration. The VORLAX output was post-processed through a MATLAB GUI created to speed up the iterative process.
The project was undertaken as a part of the Advanced Aerodynamics (MAE510) class.
Design of Aircraft Fuselage for Weight Optimization
Designed a circular aircraft fuselage structure for metallic and composite materials with a focus on weight reduction for a given Factor of Safety of 1.10.
Optimization of aircraft skin thickness, number of beam stiffeners with shear, bending, and buckling stress analysis using stress and strain calculations derived from MIL and industry-standard handbook equations, and stress tables. The design study provided an optimized design with a metallic Lithium-Aluminium alloy fuselage weighing 42.05 lbs and a graphite composite T300/5208 fuselage with 28 lbs.
The project was undertaken as a part of the Design of Aerospace Structures (MAE526) class.
Design of controller for autonomous landing of a fixed-wing UAV
The landing phase of an aircraft is a tricky operation domain as the system is flying on its aerodynamic limits and the margin of error is very slim. Operationally UAVs might be completely autonomous for most of the mission, but their landing is done by the line-of-sight pilot procedure. Moreover, the current Auto Landing Systems (ALS) are only present in the passenger aviation sector to complement the pilot and cannot be used in most weather conditions. Thus there is a need for the design of a fully autonomous landing control system, especially for a UAV to extend its mission envelope.
The project involved system modeling, identification, and analysis for the design of a controller in the control system for autonomous landing. The system modeling and identification is done using State-Space modeling which is then used for the design of an adequate controller in Matlab/ Simulink. Two types of controllers were explored in the scope of this project: Sliding Mode Controller and P.I.D Controller.
This project was undertaken as a part of the EGR 598: System Control and Optimization class.
Team Racecraft 2015, 2016, 2017
Founder and Team Captain of Racecraft: A Collegiate team consisting of Sophomores, Junior, and Senior term students participating in various national go-kart design engineering and racing competitions. I was responsible for leading the team’s engineering work as well as handling other aspects such as project management, resource procurement, and handling, sponsorship, etc., analogous to heading a small start-up environment.
These steps in any particular year involved: Rulebook study, preliminary goals, preliminary system designs, material and market study, vendor selection, secondary systems design, systems engineering analysis and simulations, final design, manufacturing of the vehicle, testing, and validation.
Despite numerous failures and obstacles, I led the team to successfully participate in 5 national engineering competitions showing improvements in our vehicle system designs and racing throughout the process. Our team won multiple awards such as Best Engineering Design, CAE, and overall third place in the final competition.
[ Image Left to Right: (1) RC’16 kart chassis analysis ; (2) RC’16 before race ; (3) RC’17 chassis analysis ; (4) RC’17 assembly exploded view ; (5) RC’17 in pit area ; (6) optimized aluminium milled wheel-hub for RC’17. ]
Team Acira 2017 : SAE India BAJA
After successfully leading the college go-kart team, I participated in the college team Acira building a All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) to compete in the SAE India BAJA engineering competition. The physics and vehicle-dynamics engineering involved in the design of an ATV was vastly different from that of go-karts, in which I had ample experience. We successfully participated in the technical and dynamic rounds of the competition, but couldn’t take part in the final race due to the breakdown of a braking component.
I worked on the DFMEA & PFMEA charts, the fabrication team, and also the business model pitch. The project was worked on for about 9 months and involved the complete life cycle of engineering design.
[ Images: (1) Top Left: Acira 2017 ; (2) Top Right: Acira’17 chassis ; (3) Middle Right: Acira 2017 ;
(4) Bottom Right: Acira’17 rear hub assembly ]
Design and Build of an RC plane with an IC engine
I have always been passionate about flying and thus I knew my career goal even before joining engineering college. Thus to get an early start, me and my friends started building a 6-feet wingspan Remote Controlled (RC) airplane powered by a small internal combustion- nitro engine (8.5cc with 1.95HP @ 17500RPM) with guidance from a veteran aeromodelling expert.
The plane was made primarily from balsa wood and thus required us to learn some important engineering techniques. The plane was made over 3-4 months in the summer of 2013 and I learned to fly the plane over the consecutive months. This design and long build process provided me with valuable hands-on experience and my first experience of taking a technical project from start to finish.
The plane, dubbed “The Bolt”, is still in excellent flying condition and has never had a major crash. The engine underwent a complete overhaul last year due to the failure of one of the crankshaft bearings.
Evaluation of current CAV video perception system algorithms on Indian roads.
Most of the current CAV research is being done in North America, especially the U.S.A, where the road infrastructure and driving environment are far more disciplined and better than some of the “third world’, developing nations. This project aims to undertake an evaluation of current CA perception system video-processing algorithms that were designed for the Western roads to be tested on data from Indian rod conditions. I hoped to discover some specific areas of shortcomings through this evaluation, which would help us modify or generate more robust algorithms or identify areas of improvement in sensors, vehicle structure, or environment infrastructure. The project was executed on an open-source Tensorflow Hub platform with the code accessed via Google Colab.
This project was done as a part of EGR 598: Connected & Automated Vehicles class.
DYNAROOF: Automatic Sun Roof System
The project involved a market study and preliminary design of an automatic, modular sun-roof system that would change the configuration of the roof shades in response to the change in daylight, to maximize the room/space luminance. It involved real-time measurement of incident sunlight intensity and processing of data to open modular roof tiles to illuminate interior spaces of structures, reduce energy usage, and implement green building technologies. It was worked on as an entry into the Larsen&Turbo TechGium 2017 engineering innovation competition. The concept received positive feedback for the simple, retro-fit solution.
Academic Courses I have completed :
Linear Algebra (MAE 501-ASU)
Partial Differential Equations (MAE 502-ASU)
Advanced Aerodynamics (MAE 564-ASU)
Experimental Methods for Thermal & Fluid Processes (MAE 504-ASU)
Design of Aerospace Structures (MAE 526-ASU)
Dynamics and Vibrations (MAE 510-ASU)
System Control and Optimization (EGR 598-ASU)
Connected and Automated Vehicles (EGR 598-ASU)
Perception Theory and Product Design (PHY 598 – ASU)
Computational Fluid Dynamics (Project-based Coursel at VNIT, India)
Aircraft Design (NPTEL Online Certification)
Aircraft Stability and Control (NPTEL Online Certification)
VIPUL P. GADEKAR 