Assessment on the Potential Application of Salago Fiber Composite as an Alternative Material in Drone Airframe
Jerome D. Lopena, Jeremiah C. Millare
Abstract
The capabilities of drones to perform dangerous missions have led to their development in various applications in different fields. Aside from the electronic components, an important part to be considered in their design is the airframe. It serves as the main structure that holds and supports the major components of a drone. In this research work, the potential use of salago fiber composite as an alternative airframe material has been assessed. The properties of this natural fiber composite have been compared to glass fiber composite such as density, heat deflection temperature, thermal behavior and mechanical strength. Although, the glass fiber composite remains superior in terms of flexural and impact strengths, the salago fiber composite still obtained a lower density (4.8 %) of 1.19 g/cm 3 and a higher heat deflection temperature (7.9 %) of 58.6 °C. Moreover, the drone with an airframe made from salago fiber composite was able to fly successfully. Furthermore, the airframe was able to protect the components from damage after dropping the drone in a 2-meter height five times. Overall, the composite can be considered as an alternative material in drone airframes.