Date of Award

6-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2026

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Drazen Fabris

Abstract

This thesis follows the design, manufacturing, and testing of Santa Clara's 2026 AIM Design, Build, Fly Team. The project is built on one main system with multiple subsystems related to the payload and integration of payload. The main system is the Wings of Theseus which is a 5 ft span electric remote controlled plane designed to complete 4 four missions: rapid loading and unloading of payload, airworthiness, internal payload flight, and towed payload flight. Each of these missions is directly related to the aforementioned subsystems. The Wings of Theseus incorporated a rectangular wing with geometric twist as well as a 2400W scorpion motor, selected for high speed efficiency and high thrust, while the payload mechanisms are placed internally in the fuselage compacted as much as possible to further high speed efficiency. All of the components of the aircraft were built using carbon composites, wood, and 3D printed material.

Development of the Wings of Theseus followed an iterative path that was followed through conceptual design, preliminary design, detailed design, and design validation. These TM process were supported through the use of premade softwares such as XFLR5TM, ANSYS FluentTM, OpenFOAMTM , and OpenVSPTM and also through the use IN-house coded analysis such as a lap simulator, an Inter-Mission Performance Analyser (IMPA), a composite failure analyzer, a fuselage and wing loading analyzer, and many more. Ground and flight testing were both used to validate all simulations as well as validating design decisions. The code built by the team worked in tandem with the premade-softwares to create a rapid iteration process allowing for changes to be made and analyzed very quickly. Results emphasize the value of early simulation validation so more informed decisions can be made. Future work is recommended in autonomy, long duration flight, and improved manufacturing processes.

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