In this paper a fast and efficient mesh morphing based technique to perform FSI analyses for aeroelastic design and optimization applications is presented. The procedure is based on the finite volume CFD solver (OpenFOAM® and SU2) coupled with the RBF Morph™ tool capable of deforming the surface and volume mesh of the computational domain according to the mode superposition method. Structural vibration modes of the geometry of interest are calculated in a pre-processing stage by means of a FEM solver and later imported into the RBF Morph™ tool to create a set of individual basic deformations. Aerodynamic loads calculated with a CFD solver are then projected onto the accounted structural modes to get modal loads and modal coordinates which are applied to the computational model in order to obtain the deformed configuration. An FSI cycle incorporating a CFD simulation and morphing of its mesh can be iteratively repeated upon convergence to the final deformed shape. Since the modal parameterization and the mesh calculation have to be prepared only once per FSI analysis, its computation time is drastically reduced compared to a standard two-way coupling method in which a structural analysis has to be done at each cycle. Present procedure was applied to two geometries, HIRENASD fuselage-wing geometry for the purpose of testing the procedure and a Pipistrel's electric aircraft propeller for the purpose of optimization of its shape. By utilizing a DoE and a response surface method an increase of four percent of propeller efficiency was obtained by converging to a most favourable propeller pitch and twist configuration incorporating also FSI deformation. The abovementioned procedure was developed in the framework of the EU-funded RBF4AERO project (Grant Agreement No: 605396) and is available through the RBF4AERO platform.
Abstract. In this paper, the continuous adjoint method, developed by NTUA in the Open-FOAM R environment, is coupled with an RBF-based morpher developed by UTV to tackle optimization problems in low-speed aeronautics. The adjoint method provides a fast and accurate way for computing the sensitivity derivatives of the objective functions (here, drag, lift and losses) with respect to the design variables. The latter are defined as a set of variables controlling a group of RBF control points used to deform both the surface and volume mesh of the computational domain. The use of the RBF-based morpher provides a fast and robust way of handling mesh and geometry deformations, facing two challenging tasks related to shape optimization with the same tool. The coupling of the above-mentioned tools is used to tackle (a) the minimization of the cooling losses for an electric motor installed on a lightweight aircraft, by controlling the cooling air intake shape and (b) the shape optimization of a glider geometry targeting maximum lift-to-drag ratio by mainly optimizing the wing-fuselage junction. Regarding problem (a), a porous media is utilized to simulate the pressure drop caused by the radiator; the adjoint to this porosity model is developed and presented. This work was carried out in the framework of the EU-funded RBF4AERO project and the presented methods are available through the RBF4AERO platform (www.rbf4aero.eu).
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.