CAD, Multibody Dynamics, and FEM in Air Mobility Innovation

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) represents a promising frontier for alleviating congestion and redefining sustainable transportation in metropolitan environments. This work presents a fully interdisciplinary design and validation framework for a deployable arm system, conceived to enable the transformation of ground vehicles into air-capable platforms. The development process integrates advanced Computer-Aided Design (CAD) modeling, Multi-Body Dynamics (MBD), and Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis in a sequential and collaborative workflow. The CAD phase enables detailed geometric modeling and kinematic configuration, which in turn are necessary in multibody simulations to evaluate constraint reactions and system dynamics. These reactions inform FEM simulations aimed at structural assessment under realistic operational conditions. Experimental validation on a physical prototype confirms the reliability of the numerical models, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. This integrated CAD-MBD-FEM approach exemplifies the synergy between design, simulation, and testing, paving the way for innovative, lightweight, and adaptive structures in the field of advanced aerial mobility.