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Papers by Umair Iqbal

Journal of Space Technology, 2021

Unmanned helicopters are trending platforms for quick post-disaster aerial surveying because of t... more Unmanned helicopters are trending platforms for quick post-disaster aerial surveying because of their improved safety, reduced operational costs and ability to access hazardous areas. Design enhancements in the existing aerial platforms to accommodate surveying functionality is a commonly practised approach instead of developing surveying platforms from scratch. Skid elevation to accommodate additional equipment is one of the design enhancements done under this approach. This paper proposes a new hollow structure elevated skid design to address the problem of providing additional space to accommodate disaster surveying equipment (i.e., vision system, airdrop mechanism, extra fuel tank) under the medium-size helicopter. SolidWorks and ANSYS virtual platforms were used for the modelling and simulations of the proposed elevated skid structure, respectively. Static structural Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Explicit Dynamic Analysis (EDA) were performed for aluminium and fibreglass materials and concluded that proposed structure was within the elastic limit of materials with safety factors within the aerospace range (1.2-1.5). Results for fibreglass material were reported slightly better than aluminium material. Comparative analysis was performed with existing skids and proposed design was capable of achieving desired payload capacity (i.e., 7kg) and space requirements (i.e., 195mm) by almost 160g reduced weight when compared with reference skid. Developed elevated skid will provide additional space for the attachment of equipment related to disaster relief, rescue and surveying.

In this research work, Long Range (LR) radio control system has been developed for an unmanned di... more In this research work, Long Range (LR) radio control system has been developed for an unmanned disaster relief and survey helicopter. The proposed radio control system is developed to overcome the short communication range problems in unmanned helicopters in initial off-the-shelf configurations. System development approach has been used to identify the available radio components, to integrate the components to implement the system and to test the implemented system. Developed LR radio system has been successfully tested for its range and endurance. For range testing, change in servo motor angles with respect to distance has been measured and analysed. Maximum range of 48 km has been achieved, using the proposed system, and endurance of 2.5 hours has been predicted by measuring the drawn current by the proposed LR radio control system.

Development of unmanned disaster relief helicopters is need of developing countries like Pakistan... more Development of unmanned disaster relief helicopters is need of developing countries like Pakistan to save the lives of disaster victims. As a part of research on the development of unmanned disaster relief helicopter at National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), this paper aims to address the problems of installing disaster relief equipment on a Radio Controlled (RC) model helicopter. Skid elevation is essential in order to facilitate the installation of disaster surveying equipment like video and data telemetry system. This paper proposes an elevated skid design as a potential solution to the problem. The Structure of elevated skid has been simulated for the static structural analysis to check its safety and reliability. Simulation results and overall design of proposed elevated skid has been compared with the existing skids. Virtual Computer Aided Design (CAD) PRO-E has been used for the modeling of elevated skid and ANSYS has been used for the simulations of proposed design. Proposed elevated skid has been specifically designed for the 90 size model helicopters and can be utilized to attach the additional imagery and data telemetry equipment beneath the helicopter.

—Increasing trend in disasters worldwide has forced the use of emerging technology, especially un... more —Increasing trend in disasters worldwide has forced the use of emerging technology, especially unmanned aerial systems for disaster surveying and relief operations. Unmanned helicopters have been used more often for the surveying and rescuing in the disaster struck areas. To provide the element of rescuing in the unmanned helicopters, in this research paper, a single piece, servo actuated airdrop mechanism design has been proposed and fabricated. Proposed airdrop mechanism is capable of carrying 1kg payload of first aid kit to drop in disaster affected areas. Design has been modelled using the SolidWorks virtual Computer Aided Design (CAD) platform and fabricated using the CNC machine to get the high level of precision. The proposed airdrop mechanism can be utilized in small and medium size unmanned aerial systems to drop the payload of 1 kg capacity.

This paper presents short comparison of different type of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for the d... more This paper presents short comparison of different type of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for the disaster relief application. Brief study of available UAS is carried out and compared in terms of control, flight time, maneuverability, cost, payload and etc. In the end on the bases of comparison, suitable vehicles for disaster relief operations are suggested. Unmanned helicopters and multi-rotor copters are considered to be the most suitable vehicles for this purpose due to many
factors including their maneuverability, agility and wind disturbances.

2014 International Conference on Robotics and Emerging Allied Technologies in Engineering (iCREATE), 2014

ABSTRACT This paper is about the design, fabrication and analysis of parabolic trough. Idea of re... more ABSTRACT This paper is about the design, fabrication and analysis of parabolic trough. Idea of research is to concentrate the solar energy at some focal point to generate enough temperature that can generate steam. That steam can be used to run a steam engine for production of electricity. In this research project a parabolic trough is designed and its efficiency is checked experimentally. Luminance and temperature on the focal point is measured. Overall this paper is about the mechanical design of parabolic trough and its experimental testing for its use in generating electricity using steam engine.

This paper presents the overall endurance analysis for the unmanned disaster relief and survey he... more This paper presents the overall endurance analysis
for the unmanned disaster relief and survey helicopter under development
process at Aerial Robotics lab, NUST, Pakistan. Analysis
are carried out by recording current drawn by each power
source used in helicopter individually. Current measurement
and recording is done by interfacing digital multimeter(DMM)
over serial port interface with personal computer. In the end
discussions on the overall flight timing of helicopter depending
upon endurance analysis is discussed.

Thesis Chapters by Umair Iqbal

National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan, 2015

Increase in the occurrence of natural disasters due to climatic changes has caused destruction in... more Increase in the occurrence of natural disasters due to climatic changes has caused destruction in terms of property and lives in the last couple of decades. In South Asia, especially in Pakistan, natural disasters are causing damages every year. Post disaster surveys are significant in saving the lives of victims, as first 72 hours after disaster are very critical for rescuing. In order to utilize the resources efficiently, quick surveying of disaster struck area to scan and collect useful information is necessary. Developing countries like Pakistan have inadequate facilities for quick surveying which costs precious lives. Full scale helicopters surveys and manned rescue teams have been used in the past for surveying and rescue purposes but are not cost effective. Use of fully equipped small sized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for quick surveying is one of the alternate cheap solution.
This thesis is a part of overall research about development of fully equipped unmanned disaster relief helicopter. It is focused mainly on the development of long range radio control system, elevated skid and airdrop mechanism for the disaster relief helicopter. Long range radio control system has been developed using ultra high frequency (UHF) based long range transceiver modules and tested on both a test mockup and then the actual helicopter. Elevated skid and airdrop mechanisms have been specifically designed, simulated and fabricated for the 90 size model helicopters. Solid Works, Pro E and ANSYS software platforms have been used for the simulations and modeling purposes. Overall this research is a combination of design, development, integration and implementation of proposed methods for achieving the long range radio control, elevated skid and airdrop mechanism for first aid kit drop.

Journal of Space Technology, 2021

Unmanned helicopters are trending platforms for quick post-disaster aerial surveying because of t... more Unmanned helicopters are trending platforms for quick post-disaster aerial surveying because of their improved safety, reduced operational costs and ability to access hazardous areas. Design enhancements in the existing aerial platforms to accommodate surveying functionality is a commonly practised approach instead of developing surveying platforms from scratch. Skid elevation to accommodate additional equipment is one of the design enhancements done under this approach. This paper proposes a new hollow structure elevated skid design to address the problem of providing additional space to accommodate disaster surveying equipment (i.e., vision system, airdrop mechanism, extra fuel tank) under the medium-size helicopter. SolidWorks and ANSYS virtual platforms were used for the modelling and simulations of the proposed elevated skid structure, respectively. Static structural Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Explicit Dynamic Analysis (EDA) were performed for aluminium and fibreglass materials and concluded that proposed structure was within the elastic limit of materials with safety factors within the aerospace range (1.2-1.5). Results for fibreglass material were reported slightly better than aluminium material. Comparative analysis was performed with existing skids and proposed design was capable of achieving desired payload capacity (i.e., 7kg) and space requirements (i.e., 195mm) by almost 160g reduced weight when compared with reference skid. Developed elevated skid will provide additional space for the attachment of equipment related to disaster relief, rescue and surveying.

In this research work, Long Range (LR) radio control system has been developed for an unmanned di... more In this research work, Long Range (LR) radio control system has been developed for an unmanned disaster relief and survey helicopter. The proposed radio control system is developed to overcome the short communication range problems in unmanned helicopters in initial off-the-shelf configurations. System development approach has been used to identify the available radio components, to integrate the components to implement the system and to test the implemented system. Developed LR radio system has been successfully tested for its range and endurance. For range testing, change in servo motor angles with respect to distance has been measured and analysed. Maximum range of 48 km has been achieved, using the proposed system, and endurance of 2.5 hours has been predicted by measuring the drawn current by the proposed LR radio control system.

Development of unmanned disaster relief helicopters is need of developing countries like Pakistan... more Development of unmanned disaster relief helicopters is need of developing countries like Pakistan to save the lives of disaster victims. As a part of research on the development of unmanned disaster relief helicopter at National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), this paper aims to address the problems of installing disaster relief equipment on a Radio Controlled (RC) model helicopter. Skid elevation is essential in order to facilitate the installation of disaster surveying equipment like video and data telemetry system. This paper proposes an elevated skid design as a potential solution to the problem. The Structure of elevated skid has been simulated for the static structural analysis to check its safety and reliability. Simulation results and overall design of proposed elevated skid has been compared with the existing skids. Virtual Computer Aided Design (CAD) PRO-E has been used for the modeling of elevated skid and ANSYS has been used for the simulations of proposed design. Proposed elevated skid has been specifically designed for the 90 size model helicopters and can be utilized to attach the additional imagery and data telemetry equipment beneath the helicopter.

—Increasing trend in disasters worldwide has forced the use of emerging technology, especially un... more —Increasing trend in disasters worldwide has forced the use of emerging technology, especially unmanned aerial systems for disaster surveying and relief operations. Unmanned helicopters have been used more often for the surveying and rescuing in the disaster struck areas. To provide the element of rescuing in the unmanned helicopters, in this research paper, a single piece, servo actuated airdrop mechanism design has been proposed and fabricated. Proposed airdrop mechanism is capable of carrying 1kg payload of first aid kit to drop in disaster affected areas. Design has been modelled using the SolidWorks virtual Computer Aided Design (CAD) platform and fabricated using the CNC machine to get the high level of precision. The proposed airdrop mechanism can be utilized in small and medium size unmanned aerial systems to drop the payload of 1 kg capacity.

This paper presents short comparison of different type of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for the d... more This paper presents short comparison of different type of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for the disaster relief application. Brief study of available UAS is carried out and compared in terms of control, flight time, maneuverability, cost, payload and etc. In the end on the bases of comparison, suitable vehicles for disaster relief operations are suggested. Unmanned helicopters and multi-rotor copters are considered to be the most suitable vehicles for this purpose due to many
factors including their maneuverability, agility and wind disturbances.

2014 International Conference on Robotics and Emerging Allied Technologies in Engineering (iCREATE), 2014

ABSTRACT This paper is about the design, fabrication and analysis of parabolic trough. Idea of re... more ABSTRACT This paper is about the design, fabrication and analysis of parabolic trough. Idea of research is to concentrate the solar energy at some focal point to generate enough temperature that can generate steam. That steam can be used to run a steam engine for production of electricity. In this research project a parabolic trough is designed and its efficiency is checked experimentally. Luminance and temperature on the focal point is measured. Overall this paper is about the mechanical design of parabolic trough and its experimental testing for its use in generating electricity using steam engine.

This paper presents the overall endurance analysis for the unmanned disaster relief and survey he... more This paper presents the overall endurance analysis
for the unmanned disaster relief and survey helicopter under development
process at Aerial Robotics lab, NUST, Pakistan. Analysis
are carried out by recording current drawn by each power
source used in helicopter individually. Current measurement
and recording is done by interfacing digital multimeter(DMM)
over serial port interface with personal computer. In the end
discussions on the overall flight timing of helicopter depending
upon endurance analysis is discussed.

National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan, 2015

Increase in the occurrence of natural disasters due to climatic changes has caused destruction in... more Increase in the occurrence of natural disasters due to climatic changes has caused destruction in terms of property and lives in the last couple of decades. In South Asia, especially in Pakistan, natural disasters are causing damages every year. Post disaster surveys are significant in saving the lives of victims, as first 72 hours after disaster are very critical for rescuing. In order to utilize the resources efficiently, quick surveying of disaster struck area to scan and collect useful information is necessary. Developing countries like Pakistan have inadequate facilities for quick surveying which costs precious lives. Full scale helicopters surveys and manned rescue teams have been used in the past for surveying and rescue purposes but are not cost effective. Use of fully equipped small sized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for quick surveying is one of the alternate cheap solution.
This thesis is a part of overall research about development of fully equipped unmanned disaster relief helicopter. It is focused mainly on the development of long range radio control system, elevated skid and airdrop mechanism for the disaster relief helicopter. Long range radio control system has been developed using ultra high frequency (UHF) based long range transceiver modules and tested on both a test mockup and then the actual helicopter. Elevated skid and airdrop mechanisms have been specifically designed, simulated and fabricated for the 90 size model helicopters. Solid Works, Pro E and ANSYS software platforms have been used for the simulations and modeling purposes. Overall this research is a combination of design, development, integration and implementation of proposed methods for achieving the long range radio control, elevated skid and airdrop mechanism for first aid kit drop.