Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of a Truss-Braced-Wing Aircraft

Abstract

The truss-braced wing is an aircraft configuration that has the potential to be more efficient than conventional configurations.The coupling between aerodynamics, structures, and propulsion that is present in this configuration significantly increases the complexity of the design, but it offers the potential for a large improvement in performance over the cantilever wing, which we aim to achieve through numerical optimization in this study.Previous studies have primarily used low-fidelity tools that rely on empirical equations or low-order models.Here, we perform high-fidelity aerodynamic shape optimization using the RANS equations with 750 shape and twist design variables.Through optimization, we are able to reduce the drag by more than 28% compared to the baseline geometry, obtaining a final L/D ratio of 25.3, which is a lower than expected value due to high interference drag caused by limited shape design flexibility in the junctions.Despite the limitations, we believe that these results can provide a useful benchmark for future studies involving the truss-braced wing configuration, in addition to revealing insights regarding the complex aerodynamic phenomena associated with this configuration.