Extending a Multicopter Analysis Tool using Modelica and FMI for Integrated eVTOL Aerodynamic and Electrical Drivetrain Design

This paper describes how the Functional Mock-up Interface (FMI) standard for model-based systems engineering can be used to expand the capabilities of aerodynamic multicopter analysis tools to perform integrated design of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) systems. The proposed eVTOL system, which consists of a drivetrain and battery, was developed using Modelica and exported to MATLAB/SIMULINK using model exchange to interact with a domain-specific tool specializing in calculating the aerodynamics of the aircraft. This shows the value of FMI to extend the capabilities of tools for multicopter aerodynamic analysis to design eVTOL using integrated multi-domain system simulation.