A Collaborative MDO Approach for the Flexible Aircraft

Abstract

An aero-structurally coupled MDO workflow for preliminary aircraft design is presented. Built on a multifidelity approach, it integrates analysis modules for conceptual aircraft design as well as physics-based methods for a more accurate and detailed aircraft synthesis. To account for aeroelastic effects already in the early design phases, the recently developed Aeroelastic Engine is implemented. DLR’s collaborative design environment, which utilizes distributed network analysis modules as well as the unified data format CPACS for the transdisciplinary coupling between disparate modules, serves as the foundation of the workflow. The multifidelity approach in the formulation of this collaborative environment and its main building blocks are briefly explained, whereas the working principles of the workflow to analyze the impact of flexibility effects of the aircraft are discussed thoroughly. As in such distributed computing approach the modules do not share a common memory, several modifications to the file-handling of CPACS were required, which then allowed for nested convergence loops to obtain the aeroelastic equilibrium for multiple sizing load cases. The impact of aeroelastic effects on wing sizing and on flight performance are presented in an example analysis problem for a mediumhaul aircraft equipped with a high aspect ratio wing.