MS student Jianqiao (Peter) Xiao with Advisor K. Haran

The crucial relationship between aircraft range and payload is studied in exploring the design space and optimization of a propeller-motor subsystem for electric aircraft. The aircraft we designed, shown in Figure 7, can carry ten passengers and is meant to replace shuttle buses as a faster and more direct form of transportation. An iterative genetic optimization method of developing aero-propulsive parameters for the air shuttle has been proposed and demonstrated. The results of the optimization have been analyzed to determine developments in enabling technology that are necessary for increasing the feasibility of this new form of transportation. This research is funded by NASA.

Design space and optimization of a propeller-motor subsystem for electric aircraft

Figure 7. Conceptual design of an e-VTOL aircraft