Joaquim R. R. A. Martins, Timothy R. Brooks
DOI Number: N/A
Conference number: IFASD-2017-127
Wing shape is a crucial aircraft component that has a large impact performance. Wing design optimization has been an active area of research for several decades, but achieving practical designs has been a challenge. One of the main challenges is the wing flexibility, which requires the consideration of both aerodynamics and structures. To address this, we have developed the capability to perform simultaneous optimization of the outer mold line of a wing and its structural sizing. The solution of such design optimization problems is made possible by MACH, a framework for high-fidelity aerostructural optimization that uses state-of-the-art numerical methods. MACH combines a three-dimensional CFD solver, a finite-element structural model of the wingbox, a geometry modeler, and a gradient-based optimizer. It computes the flying shape of a wing and is able to optimize aircraft configurations with respect to hundreds of aerodynamic shape and internal structural sizes. The theoretical developments include coupled-adjoint sensitivity analysis, and an automatic differentiation adjoint approach. The algorithms resulting from these developments are all implemented to take advantage of massively parallel computers. To benchmark the developed approaches, we created a high-fidelity aeroelastic model based on NASA’s Common Research Model. In addition, we created a high aspect ratio wing version of this model to explore the use of new aircraft technologies. Applications to the optimization of aircraft configurations demonstrate the effectiveness of these approaches in designing aircraft wings for maximum performance.