Analysis of the Boeing 747-100 using CEASIOM

One of the requirements for the SimSAC project was to use existing aircraft to act as benchmarks for comparison with CEASIOM generated models. Within this paper, results are given for one of these examples, the Boeing 747-100. This aircraft was selected because a complete dataset exists in the open domain, which can be used to validate SimSAC generated data. The purpose of this paper is to both give confidence in, and to demonstrate the capabilities of, the CEASIOM environment when used for preliminary aircraft and control system design. CEASIOM is the result of the integration of a set of sophisticated tools by the European Union funded, Framework 6 SimSAC program. The first part of this paper presents a comparison of the aerodynamic results for each of the solvers available within CEASIOM together with data from the 747-100 model published by NASA. The resulting nonlinear model is then trimmed and analysed using the Flight Control System Designer Toolkit (FCSDT) module. In the final section of the paper a state-feedback controller is designed within CEASIOM in order to modify the longitudinal dynamics of the aircraft. The open and closed loop models are subsequently evaluated with selected failed aerodynamic surfaces and for the case of a single failed engine. Through these results, the CEASIOM software suite is shown to be able to generate excellent quality adaptive-fidelity aerodynamic data. This data is contained within a full nonlinear aircraft model to which linear analysis and control system design can be easily applied.     

Design of a canard configured TransCruiser using CEASIOM

CEASIOM is a multidisciplinary software environment for aircraft design that has been developed as part of the European Framework 6 SimSAC project. It closely integrates discipline-specific tools such as those used for CAD, grid generation, CFD, stability analysis and control system design. The environment allows the user to take an initial design from geometry definition and aerodynamics generation through to full six degrees of freedom simulation and analysis. Key capabilities include variable fidelity aerodynamics tools and aeroelasticity modules. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of CEASIOM by presenting the results of a Design, Simulate and Evaluate (DSE) exercise applied to a novel, project specific, transonic cruiser configuration called the TCR. The baseline TCR configuration is first defined using conventional methods, which is then refined and improved within the CEASIOM software environment. A wind tunnel model of this final configuration was then constructed, tested and used to verify the results generated using CEASIOM.     

Stability analysis using SDSA tool

The SDSA (Simulation and Dynamic Stability Analysis) application is presented as a tool for analysing the dynamic characteristics of the aircraft just in the conceptual design stage. SDSA is part of the CEASIOM (Computerized Environment for Aircraft Synthesis and Integrated Optimization Methods) software environment which was developed within the SimSAC (Simulating Aircraft Stability And Control Characteristics for Use in Conceptual Design) project, funded by the European Commission 6th Framework Program. SDSA can also be used as stand alone software, and integrated with other design and optimisation systems using software wrappers. This paper focuses on the main functionalities of SDSA and presents both computational and free flight experimental results to compare and validate the presented software. Two aircraft are considered, the EADS Ranger 2000 and the Warsaw University designed PW-6 glider. For the two cases considered here the SDSA software is shown to be an excellent tool for predicting dynamic characteristics of an aircraft.     

Modeling and simulating aircraft stability and control—The SimSAC project

This paper overviews the SimSAC Project, Simulating Aircraft Stability And Control Characteristics for Use in Conceptual Design. It reports on the three major tasks: development of design software, validating the software on benchmark tests and applying the software to design exercises. CEASIOM, the Computerized Environment for Aircraft Synthesis and Integrated Optimization Methods, is a framework tool that integrates discipline-specific tools for conceptual design. At this early stage of the design it is very useful to be able to predict the flying and handling qualities of this design. In order to do this, the aerodynamic database needs to be computed for the configuration being studied, which then has to be coupled to the stability and control tools to carry out the analysis. The benchmarks for validation are the F12 windtunnel model of a generic long-range airliner and the TCR windtunnel model of a sonic-cruise passenger transport concept. The design, simulate and evaluate (DSE) exercise demonstrates how the software works as a design tool. The exercise begins with a design specification and uses conventional design methods to prescribe a baseline configuration. Then CEASIOM improves upon this baseline by analyzing its flying and handling qualities. Six such exercises are presented.     

From geometry to CFD grids—An automated approach for conceptual design

The CEASIOM software developed in the EU-funded collaborative research project SimSAC generates stability and control data for preliminary aircraft design using different methods of varying fidelity. In order to obtain the aerodynamic derivatives by CFD, the aircraft geometry must be defined, computational meshes generated, and numerical parameters set for the flow solvers. An approach to automation of the process is discussed, involving geometry generation and mesh generation for inviscid as well as RANS flow models.     

NeoCASS: An integrated tool for structural sizing, aeroelastic analysis and MDO at conceptual design level

This paper presents a design framework called NeoCASS (Next generation Conceptual Aero-Structural Sizing Suite), developed at the Department of Aerospace Engineering of Politecnico di Milano in the frame of SimSAC (Simulating Aircraft Stability And Control Characteristics for Use in Conceptual Design) project, funded by EU in the context of 6th Framework Program. It enables the creation of efficient low-order, medium fidelity models particularly suitable for structural sizing, aeroelastic analysis and optimization at the conceptual design level.The whole methodology is based on the integration of geometry construction, aerodynamic and structural analysis codes that combine depictive, computational, analytical, and semi-empirical methods, validated in an aircraft design environment.The work here presented aims at including the airframe and its effect from the very beginning of the conceptual design. This aspect is usually not considered in this early phase. In most cases, very simplified formulas and datasheets are adopted, which implies a low level of detail and a poor accuracy. Through NeoCASS, a preliminar distribution of stiffness and inertias can be determined, given the initial layout. The adoption of empirical formulas is reduced to the minimum in favor of simple numerical methods. This allows to consider the aeroelastic behavior and performances, as well, improving the accuracy of the design tools during the iterative steps and lowering the development costs and reducing the time to market.The result achieved is a design tool based on computational methods for the aero-structural analysis and Multi-Disciplinary Optimization (MDO) of aircraft layouts at the conceptual design stage. A complete case study regarding the TransoniCRuiser aircraft, including validation of the results obtained using industrial standard tools like MSC/NASTRAN and a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) code, is reported. As it will be shown, it is possible to improve the degree of fidelity of the conceptual design process by including tailored numerical tools, overcoming the lacks of statistical methods. The result is a method minimally dependent on datasheets, featuring a good compromise between accuracy and costs.     

Validation of numerical prediction of dynamic derivatives: The DLR-F12 and the Transcruiser test cases

The dynamic derivatives are widely used in linear aerodynamic models in order to determine the flying qualities of an aircraft: the ability to predict them reliably, quickly and sufficiently early in the design process is vital in order to avoid late and costly component redesigns. This paper describes experimental and computational research dealing with the determination of dynamic derivatives carried out within the FP6 European project SimSAC. Numerical and experimental results are compared for two aircraft configurations: a generic civil transport aircraft, wing-fuselage-tail configuration called the DLR-F12 and a generic Transonic CRuiser, which is a canard configuration. Static and dynamic wind tunnel tests have been carried out for both configurations and are briefly described within this paper. The data generated for both the DLR-F12 and TCR configurations include force and pressure coefficients obtained during small amplitude pitch, roll and yaw oscillations while the data for the TCR configuration also include large amplitude oscillations, in order to investigate the dynamic effects on nonlinear aerodynamic characteristics. In addition, dynamic derivatives have been determined for both configurations with a large panel of tools, from linear aerodynamic (Vortex Lattice Methods) to CFD. This work confirms that an increase in fidelity level enables the dynamic derivatives to be calculated more accurately. Linear aerodynamics tools are shown to give satisfactory results but are very sensitive to the geometry/mesh input data. Although all the quasi-steady CFD approaches give comparable results (robustness) for steady dynamic derivatives, they do not allow the prediction of unsteady components for the dynamic derivatives (angular derivatives with respect to time): this can be done with either a fully unsteady approach i.e. with a time-marching scheme or with frequency domain solvers, both of which provide comparable results for the DLR-F12 test case. As far as the canard configuration is concerned, strong limitations for the linear aerodynamic tools are observed. A key aspect of this work are the acceleration techniques developed for CFD methods, which allow the computational time to be dramatically reduced while providing comparable results.     

Structural mass prediction in conceptual design of blended-wing-body aircraft

The Blended-Wing-Body (BWB) is an unconventional configuration of aircraft and considered as a potential configuration for future commercial aircraft. One of the difficulties in conceptual design of a BWB aircraft is structural mass prediction due to its unique structural feature. This paper presents a structural mass prediction method for conceptual design of BWB aircraft using a structure analysis and optimization method combined with empirical calibrations. The total BWB structural mass is divided into the ideal load-carrying structural mass, non-ideal mass, and secondary structural mass. Structural finite element analysis and optimization are used to predict the ideal primary structural mass, while the non-ideal mass and secondary structural mass are estimated by empirical methods. A BWB commercial aircraft is used to demonstrate the procedure of the BWB structural mass prediction method. The predicted mass of structural components of the BWB aircraft is presented, and the ratios of the structural component mass to the Maximum TakeOff Mass (MTOM) are discussed. It is found that the ratio of the fuselage mass to the MTOM for the BWB aircraft is much higher than that for a conventional commercial aircraft, and the ratio of the wing mass to the MTOM for the BWB aircraft is slightly lower than that for a conventional aircraft.     

飞机/发动机一体化评估系统研究

本课题研究了一种快速的飞机/发动机一体化评估方法和软件,其主要特点是根据飞机飞行任务要求,同时对飞机/发动机系统的主要设计变量(如飞机起飞推重比、翼载、机翼几何参数和发动机循环参数等)进行有约束多目标优选,求得最佳方案。优选的目标函数和约束条件由飞机战术技术要求和飞行任务确定。 应用此评估系统,曾对某型歼击机进行改型方案论证。计算结果表明:优选后的飞机性能有明显改善;飞行任务要求不同,最佳方案飞机的推重比、翼载、机翼外形和发动机循环参数也不同。使用本系统方便和快速,每计算一个方案在IBM4341计算机上,所需CPU时间在1min以内。本评估系统适用于战斗飞机/发动机的设计和改型,经扩充后也可推广到民用飞机/发动机的方案论证工作。     

参数化大型客机方案实例库研究

 为充分利用和借鉴已有的大型客机方案实例信息,建立了参数化大型客机方案实例库,并在一个开放式飞机总体设计环境中完成了方案实例三维建模和相关参数入库,提出了面向对象的参数化实例方法。在此基础上实现了对实例库中客机参数的管理、参数分析,并通过初始布局方案的模块化设计,为总体设计阶段新方案的快速设计及初步分析奠定了一定的基础。最后通过应用示例说明了实例库在总体设计阶段的运用。     

协作优化在无人机概念设计中的应用

多学科设计优化（MDO）是当前飞行器设计研究中一个最新、最活跃的领域,而协作优化是解决多学科设计优化问题的一种二级MDO算法。将协作优化应用到无人机的概念设计中,建立了包含气动、重量、性能和稳定性四个学科的无人机系统优化模型。与传统的设计方法相比,该方法为无人机在概念设计阶段提供了更加合理的飞行器外形,降低了初步设计和详细设计阶段对飞行器外形修改的可能性,从而缩短研制周期和降低成本。     

Decision-making of Aircraft Optimum Configuration Utilizing Multidimensional Game Theory

As multi-discipline coupling and components interference often affect the aircraft configuration decision-making and analysis during conceptual design process, this article presents an approach of multidimensional game theory based on aircraft components to deal with this problem. The idea is that the configuration decision-making process is regarded as the game for different disciplines and technologies, and the aircraft components are players. The payoff function with highest total gain means that according to the game protocols and multidimensional theory, the optimal aircraft configuration within the strategy set will be chosen. The decision-making model is applied to conceptual design process of the high altitude long endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on the assessment of technological risk. The obtained optimum configuration is quite consistent with the current HALE UAV development trends. Thus, taking into account the coupling and interference factors, the multidimensional gaming model based on aircraft components will be an effective analysis method in the decision-making process of aircraft optimum configuration.     

Research of low boom and low drag supersonic aircraft design

Sonic boom reduction will be an issue of utmost importance in future supersonic transport, due to strong regulations on acoustic nuisance. The paper describes a new multi-objective optimization method for supersonic aircraft design. The method is developed by coupling Seebass–George–Darden(SGD) inverse design method and multi-objective genetic algorithm.Based on the method, different codes are developed. Using a computational architecture, a conceptual supersonic aircraft design environment(CSADE) is constructed. The architecture of CSADE includes inner optimization level and out optimization level. The low boom configuration is generated in inner optimization level by matching the target equivalent area distribution and actual equivalent area distribution. And low boom/low drag configuration is generated in outer optimization level by using NSGA-II multi-objective genetic algorithm to optimize the control parameters of SGD method and aircraft shape. Two objective functions, low sonic boom and low wave drag, are considered in CSADE. Physically reasonable Pareto solutions are obtained from the present optimization. Some supersonic aircraft configurations are selected from Pareto front and the optimization results indicate that the swept forward wing configuration has benefits in both sonic boom reduction and wave drag reduction. The results are validated by using computational fluid dynamics(CFD) analysis.     

基于总体布局参数的飞机静稳定性研究

基于飞机初步设计阶段所得到的总体布局参数,建立飞机气动导数数值模型,对亚声速静稳定性进行估算。最后对所建立的数值模型进行算例分析,并与计算流体动力学(CFD)方法所求的气动导数、实际飞行试验数据进行对比,结果表明,基于总体布局参数计算的气动导数方法快速、合理。     

GDPP——一个实用的CAD软件包

 GDPP建立了飞机外形的快速设计、优化设计以及全机超音速面积律零升波阻分析计算、全机座舱360°视野检查及总视野包络图自动生成程序。设计计算采用交互方式进行,图形显示及绘图贯串于设计始终,使外形设计以工程分析为基础,优化设计为手段,大大提高     

Effects of stability margin and thrust specific fuel consumption constrains on multi-disciplinary optimization for blended-wing-body design

Blended-Wing-Body(BWB) configuration, as an innovative transport concept, has become a worldwide research focus in the field of civil transports development. Relative to the conventional Tube-And-Wing(TAW) configuration, the BWB shows integrated benefits and serves as a most promising candidate for future ‘‘green aviation". The objective of the present work is to figure out the effects of the stability margin and Thrust Specific Fuel Consumption(TSFC) on the BWB design in the framework of Multi-Disciplinary Optimization(MDO). A physically-based platform was promoted to study the effect static stability margin and engine technology level. Low-order physically based models are applied to the evaluation of the weight and the aerodynamic performance. The modules and methods are illustrated in detail, and the validation of the methods shows feasibility and confidence for the conceptual design of BWB aircrafts. In order to find out the relation between planform changes and the selection of stability and engine technology level, two sets of optimizations are conducted separately. The study proves that these two factors have dominant effects towards the optimized BWB designs in both aerodynamic shapes, weight distribution, which needs to be considered during the MDO design process. A balance diagram analysis is applied to find out a reasonable static stability margin range. It can be concluded that a recommended stability margin of a practical BWB commercial aircraft can be half of that of a conventional TAW design.     

民用飞机气动布局发展演变及其技术影响因素

在民用飞机气动布局发展演变的历程中,技术因素是根本推动力。为了研究未来民机的发展方向、技术需求以及应对策略,在回顾民机气动布局发展历程的基础上,梳理了在现代民机气动布局形成与演变过程中有着重要影响的4大类技术因素:航空发动机、气动设计、结构设计、飞行控制,并且揭示了这些技术因素在民机发展及其气动布局演变中所发挥的作用。结合未来航空运输市场出现的新需求,分析了未来民机的主要发展方向,重点分析了未来非常规布局民机可能采用的翼身融合、双气泡机身、支撑翼以及联结翼等气动布局形式。最后探讨了新技术条件下民用飞机发展在技术方面的需求和挑战,以及未来民用飞机总体设计的技术策略,明确了多学科设计优化是满足未来民机总体设计需求的有效技术途径。     

弯折翼尖对飞翼布局飞机气动特性影响

为提升无尾飞翼布局飞机航向控制能力,以典型飞翼布局飞机模型为研究对象设计了翼尖可绕弦线方向偏转结构。基于FL-14风洞单自由度动态试验系统开展了静态和动导数试验,研究了飞翼布局飞机基本气动特性及翼尖偏转对全机气动特性的影响。结果表明：无尾飞翼布局飞机航向呈静不稳定,航向动稳定性极弱,航向增稳设计及控制很有必要;翼尖偏转有助于增强飞机的航向静、动稳定性,并很好地解决了传统阻力类舵面航向增稳时导致全机升阻比下降气动效率降低的问题;翼尖偏转能够有效改善飞翼布局飞机恶化的荷兰滚模态使之趋近于常规布局飞机模态,这有利于简化飞机横航向控制律设计方法。弯折翼尖结构具有舵面少、效率高的特点,是航向增稳的有效手段,具有应用价值。     

民用飞机气动工程估算软件设计与开发

工程估算是飞机概念设计阶段常用的气动力计算方法,其计算效率高,并且满足飞机概念设计的精度要求。工程估算过程涉及大量的图表查阅与数据插值,传统的手动计算存在工作量与人为误差较大的缺点。针对上述问题,在已有工程估算方法的基础上,搭建了气动工程估算数据库,提出了软件的系统架构与组成,设计并开发了基于民用飞机的气动估算软件。软件具有良好图形用户界面,提供了多种输入方式与自动多维插值算法,与手动计算相比,减少了计算工作量,提高了计算效率和精度。以某大型民用飞机为对象,利用软件进行气动工程估算,并与算例的计算流体力学法(CFD)结果进行比较。结果表明:二者结果基本相符,而且计算成本远低于CFD方法。这体现了软件在民机概念设计阶段具有较高的工程实用性。     

双三角翼布局歼击教练飞机的概念优化设计

双三角翼气动布局比三角翼飞机具有更好的大攻角空气动力特性。引入了评估教练机训练效能的作战分析法 ,研究了双三角机翼布局飞机空气动力特性的工程计算途径以及飞机性能指标的确定方法。以训练效能作为目标函数并选取机翼平面形状的几何参数为设计变量 ,采用多变量数值寻优方法 ,在战术技术指标及相关几何约束条件下 ,对某高级教练机的双三角机翼气动布局方案进行了优化选择。算例表明最优方案不仅比原准方案具有更高的训练效能 ,还改善了结构的受力情况 ,与工程实践吻合。