Purpose
Conceptual and preliminary aircraft concepts are getting mature earlier in the design process, than ever before. To achieve that advanced level of maturity, multiple multidisciplinary analyses have to be done, often with usage of numerical optimization algorithms. This calls for right tools that can handle such a demanding task. Often the toughest part of a modern design is handling an aircraft’s computational models used for different analysis. Transferring geometry and loads from one program to another, or modifying internal structure, takes time and is not productive. Authors defined the concept of a common computational model (CCM), which couples programs from different aerospace scientific disciplines. Data exchange between the software components is compatible, and multidisciplinary analysis can be automated to high degree, including numerical optimization.
Design/methodology/approach
The panel method was applied to aerodynamic analysis and was coupled with open-source FEM code within one computational process.
Findings
The numerical results proved the effectiveness of developed methodology.
Practical implications
Developed software can be used within the design process of a new aircraft.
Originality/value
This paper presents an original approach for advanced numerical analysis, as well as for multidisciplinary optimization of an aircraft. The presented results show possible applications.
Design processes of aircrafts are well established today and described by numerous positions in literature. This well understood and safe path leads to aircraft designs, which become very similar. It is harder then ever to achieve competitive construction. This is why numerical optimization is becoming standard tool during the design process. Although, optimization procedures are becoming more mature, in the industry practice still fairly simple examples of optimization are present. The more complicated is the task to solve the harder it is to implement automated optimization procedures. The paper presents practical examples of optimization in aerospace sciences. Encountered problems during the optimization are presented, solutions of the problems are shown and resulting consequences are discussed.
Interested in multidisciplinary methods of aircraft design and optimization. He focuses his work on the development of new tools for aircraft design, automation of the aircraft design processes and development of algorithms for numerical optimization.
Tomasz GOETZENDORF-GRABOWSKI,Abstract. Conceptual and preliminary design level of aircraft design is searching for an easy, flexible and efficient way of computational geometry definition. Accelerating the process of geometry definition is the basic step for acceleration of all computations. It also enables optimization, where changes of numerical model are made automatically according to the optimization algorithms. The geometry definition has to be robust, free from errors and stay feasible.
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