Static Aeroelastic Optimization of High-Aspect-Ratio Composite Aircraft Wings via Surrogate Modeling

Abstract

The race towards cleaner and more efficient commercial aviation demands novel designs featuring improved aerodynamic and structural characteristics, the main pillars that drive aircraft efficiency. Among the many proposed and introduced, the increase in the aspect ratio of the wings enables greater fuel efficiency by reducing induced drag. Nevertheless, such structures are characterised by elevated flexibility, aggravating static and dynamic aeroelastic phenomena. Consequently, the preliminary and conceptual design and optimization stages using high-fidelity numerical tools is rendered extremely intricate and prohibitive in terms of computational cost. Low-fidelity tools, contrastingly, enable computational-burden alleviation. In our approach, a computational framework for the low-fidelity steady-state static aeroelastic optimization of a composite high-aspect-ratio commercial aircraft wing via surrogate modelling is proposed. The methodology starts with the development of the 3D panel method as well of the elements of the surrogate model. The design variables, objective function and constraints which formulate the optimization problem are then provided. Moreover, comparison against rigid aerodynamics indicate the significant load-alleviation capabilities of the present case study. The effect of structural nonlinearities is also explored. The optimization framework is executed and optimal laminates for the structural members are obtained. The optimal structure was deemed critical in panel buckling.

Keywords

• aircraft wings
• composite materials
• structural optimization
• low-fidelity aerodynamics
• FEM
• surrogate modeling