Numerical simulation is already an important cornerstone for aircraft design, although the application of highly accurate methods is mainly limited to the design point. To meet future technical, economic and social challenges in aviation, it is essential to simulate a real aircraft at an early stage, including all multidisciplinary interactions covering the entire flight envelope, and to have the ability to provide data with guaranteed accuracy required for development and certification. However, despite the considerable progress made there are still significant obstacles to be overcome in the development of numerical methods, physical modeling, and the integration of different aircraft disciplines for multidisciplinary analysis and optimization of realistic aircraft configurations. At DLR, these challenges are being addressed in the framework of the multidisciplinary project Digital-X (4/ 2012-12/2015). This paper provides an overview of the project objectives and presents first results on enhanced disciplinary methods in aerodynamics and structural analysis, the development of efficient reduced order methods for load analysis, the development of a multidisciplinary optimization process based on a multi-level/variable-fidelity approach, as well as the development and application of multidisciplinary methods for the analysis of maneuver loads.
The AGILE project is developing the next generation of development processes, and deploying a collaborative MDO design system, called the AGILE development framework (ADF). Naturally, such a system contains a lot of implicit assumptions on how things should be done and how to exploit different existing technologies. This collection of assumptions and technologies is labeled the 'AGILE Paradigm'. The two main building blocks of this paradigm are the Collaborative Architecture and the Knowledge Architecture. In essence, these building blocks aim to support large, heterogeneous teams of experts in performing collaborative development in a streamlined and time-effective way. This paper has a focus on the definition of the Knowledge Architecture (KA) as a general conceptual framework which is independent of the aircraft-specific application in AGILE. The KA can be applied to perform collaborative automated design in large, heterogeneous teams for any complex system (e.g. aircraft, automobiles, wind farms). The KA is structured with a multi-level backbone: Development Process layer, Automated Design layer, Design Competence layer. A fourth transverse layer impacting all other layers is the Data & Schemas layer. Each layer has its own set of assumptions and technologies, but more importantly, interfaces between the levels have to be created in order to have a fully interconnected development process from each design competence up to the top-level business process. The hierarchical levels and interfaces are described in this paper as a generalized paradigm. In addition, four support platforms of the KA in the AGILE project are described in more detail: the development process environment, graph-based support in the design problem formulation, visualization of large, complex automated design processes, and design concepts formalizations. Finally, a use case from the AGILE project is mapped on this paradigm to demonstrate the use of the KA and its support platforms in a realistic design case.
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