A Case Study of Model-Based Systems Engineering Approach Applied in the SAE BRAZIL AeroDesign Competition

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Systems Engineering is a method for developing complex products, aiming to improve cost and time estimates and ensure product validation against its requirements. This is crucial to meet customer needs and maintain competitiveness in the market. Systems Engineering activities include requirements, configuration, interface, deadlines, and technical risks management, as well as definition and decomposition of requirements, implementation, integration, and verification and validation testing. The use of digital tools in Systems Engineering activities is called Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE). The MBSE approach helps engineers manage system complexity, ensuring project information consistency, facilitating traceability and integration of elements throughout the product lifecycle. Its benefits include improved communication, traceability, information consistency, and complexity management. Major companies like Boeing already benefit from this approach, reducing their product development time. In the academic environment, competitions such as Formula SAE BRAZIL, Baja, and AeroDesign offer students opportunities to face real challenges like multidisciplinary optimization and prototype testing. Therefore, this work aims to develop the preliminary architecture of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for the SAE BRAZIL AeroDesign competition, using the MBSE approach. This allows integrating decisions from various departments into a single repository, generating customized maps and tables to represent the created traceability. The UAV architecture focuses on aerodynamics and its impact on landing and takeoff performance. The secondary objective is to provide a study of best practices for teams participating in the SAE BRAZIL AeroDesign competition and for industries facing systemic challenges in their products. Utilizing the MagicGrid method, SysML language, and relevant aeronautical references, the results include interconnected maps and tables that maintain updated information, enable quick verification of aircraft configurations against competition requirements, and reduce the need for constant manual rework.</div></div>