Design and Development of Light Weight Fuel Tank for Agro Drones

Abstract

The use of drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), has revolutionized the farming industry by providing valuable tools for various agricultural applications, including crop monitoring, spraying and treatment. A crucial aspect of agricultural drone operations is the efficient and accurate delivery of liquid payloads such as pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides. This research focuses on designing and manufacturing a lightweight tank specifically tailored for agro drones to enhance their payload delivery capabilities. The main objective of this study is to develop a tank that addresses the challenges associated with traditional tank designs, such as excessive weight and limited carrying capacity. The proposed tank utilizes lightweight materials, such as carbon fibre composites, which offer an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. Advanced manufacturing techniques are employed to maintain the tank's structural integrity while minimizing its overall weight. To ensure compatibility with agro drones, various design considerations are taken into account, including aerodynamic factors, size constraints and ease of integration with the drone's existing systems. The manufacturing process involves the use of computer-aided design (CAD) software to create a 3D model of the tank, followed by computer numerical control (CNC) machining or additive manufacturing techniques to produce the physical tank prototype. The developed tank undergoes rigorous testing to evaluate its structural integrity, payload carrying capacity and compatibility with different agro drone platforms. The lightweight tank developed in this study offers several advantages over conventional tanks, including improved flight performance, increased manoeuvrability and extended flight time for agro drones. Moreover, the use of lightweight materials reduces the energy consumption, contributing to enhanced overall operational efficiency in drone.