The conceptual design is the early stage of aircraft design process where results are needed fast, both analytically and visually so that the design can be analyzed and eventually improved in the initial phases. Although there is no necessity for a CAD model from the very beginning of the design process, it can be an added advantage to have the model to get the impression and appearance. For this purpose, knowledge-based aircraft conceptual design applications Tango (Matlab) and RAPID (CATIA) are being developed at Linköping University. Based on a parametric data definition in XML, this approach allows for a full 3D CAD integration.The one-database approach, also explored by many research organizations, enables the flexible and efficient integration of the different multidisciplinary processes during the whole conceptual design phase. This paper describes the knowledge-based design automated methodology of RAPID, data processing between RAPID and Tango and its application in the courses "Aircraft conceptual design" and "Aircraft project course" at Linköp-ing University. A multifaceted user interface is developed to assist the whole design process.

Establishing interoperability is an essential aspect of the often-pursued shift towards Model-Based System Engineering (MBSE) of, for example, aircraft. If models are to be the primary information carriers during development, the applied methods to enable interaction between engineering domains need to be modular, reusable, and scalable. Given the long life cycles and often large and heterogeneous development organizations in the aircraft industry, one possible solution is to rely on open standards and tools. In this paper, the standards Functional Mockup Interface (FMI) and System Structure and Parameterization (SSP) are exploited to exchange data between the disciplines of systems simulation and geometry modeling. A method to export data from the 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) Software (SW) CATIA in the SSP format is developed and presented. Analogously, FMI support of the Modeling & Simulation (M&S) tools OMSimulator, OpenModelica, and Dymola is utilized along with the SSP support of OMSimulator. The developed technology is put into context by means of integration with the M&S methodology for aircraft vehicle system development deployed at Saab Aeronautics. Finally, the established interoperability is demonstrated in an industrially relevant usecase. A primary goal of the research is to prototype and demonstrate functionality, enabled by the SSP and FMI standards, that could improve on MBSE methodology implemented in industry and academia.

This study investigates the performance of the collaborative multidisciplinary design optimization framework and how it facilitates the knowledge integration process. The framework is used to design and optimize an innovative concept of a tidal water power plant. The case study helps to highlight the challenges that may occur during implementation. The result is presented as a modified framework with less implementation difficulties. The improved framework shows significant reduction in design time and improvement in collaborative design optimization for a design team. The geometry of the product is optimized to minimize weight and maximize the power generated by the turbine with respect to some mechanical constraints.

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Environmental control systems hold vital importance as they are responsible for aircraft cabin air ventilation and passenger comfort. This paper presents an analytical design of both Conventional & Electrical environmental control systems. The result of the estimated design is represented in a geometrical model that gives freedom to visualize various options in the conceptual design process, using Knowledge-based engineering application as a base for the design and methodology. Flexibility in the model enables the user to control the size and positioning of the system and sub-systems associated with it. The number of passengers serves as the driving input and the three-dimensional model gives the exact representation concerning the volume occupied and dependencies on the number of passengers. It also provides a faster method to alter the system to user needs with respect to the number of air supply pipes, number of ducts, and pipe length.