Distributed Design Optimization of Large Aspect Ratio Wing Aircraft with Rapid Transonic Flutter Analysis in Linux

Hasan Khan, K., Mallik, W. , Kapania, R. K. and Schetz, J. A. (2021) Distributed Design Optimization of Large Aspect Ratio Wing Aircraft with Rapid Transonic Flutter Analysis in Linux. In: AIAA Scitech 2021 Forum, 11-15, 19-21 Jan 2021, ISBN 9781624106095 (doi: 10.2514/6.2021-1354)

Abstract

This study presents DELWARX, a Python based framework, in a distributed computing environment for multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) of transonic transport aircraft. DELWARX also includes a transonic flutter analysis approach that is computationally very effi- cient yet accurate enough for conceptual design and optimization studies. This transonic flutter analysis approach is limited to large aspect-ratio wings and attached flow. The framework em- ploys particle swarm optimization with penalty functions for exploring optimal Transonic Truss Braced Wing and conventional cantilever wing aircraft design with two different objective func- tions, the fuel weight and the maximum take-off gross weight, while satisfying all the required constraints. Proper memory management is applied to effectively handle memory related is- sues, often a limiting factor in distributed computing. The parallel implementation in MDO using 60 processors allowed a reduction in the wall-clock time by 95.79%, which is around 23.9 times faster than the optimization using a single processor. The results include comparison of the TBW designs for the medium-range missions, with and without the new flutter constraint. Importantly, the framework achieves low computation time due to parallel optimization capa- bility, retains all the previous functionalities of the Virginia Tech MDO framework and replaces the previously employed linear flutter analysis with a more accurate nonlinear transonic flutter computation. These features of DELWARX are expected to facilitate a more accurate MDO study of innovative, large aspect ratio transport aircraft configurations operating in transonic flow.

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Mallik, Dr Wrik
• Authors: Hasan Khan, K., Mallik, W., Kapania, R. K., and Schetz, J. A.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Autonomous Systems and Connectivity
• ISBN: 9781624106095
• Published Online: 04 January 2021

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