Conceptual design and modelling of complex energy-efficient flight systems using an advanced morphological approach

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Andreas Bardenhagen
• Subject Area: Engineering Design, Machine Elements, Product Development ; Traffic and Transport Systems, Intelligent and Automated Traffic
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 443831887

Within the three phases of aircraft design (Conceptual, Preliminary and Detailed) the Conceptual Design Phase is the most challenging one: a high number of complex decisions regarding aircraft configuration (e.g. wing-fuselage arrangement, propulsion group, materials) has to be taken with a long-term irreversible impact. Most of the decisions have a binary character (e.g. position of engines, empennage, wing-folding) and little detailed information is available at the beginning, a robust solution space has to be found to start the Preliminary and Detailed Design Phase. Even modern Mixed-Integer Programming (MIP) Solvers are not able to provide adequate solutions in this generally non-convex solution space.Therefore, the objective of this research project is to provide a methodology to systemically identify a robust solution space using the advanced morphological approach as a numerical technique for the systematic synthesis of new aircraft configurations. The specific problem to be solved using this approach is to determine a solution space of configurations fulfilling the top level aircraft requirements for manned and unmanned complex energy-efficient flight systems with reduced environmental impact – reduced fuel consumption, flight noise and better energy efficiency. The solution space shall include the effects of parameter uncertainties (e.g. fuel price) as well as results from expert consultations supporting the proposed advanced morphological approach. The best possible solution space results from a selection among clusters of feasible solutions taking into consideration their sensitivities to parameter variations (i.e. uncertainties) and their resilience to changes of discrete sets of parameters.The approach to be investigated within this research project includes the analysis of the underlying structure of the technical problem as well as the appropriate synthesis and parametrical modeling and multi-disciplinary optimization during conceptual design phase. The specifics of the structural synthesis process allows to consider the discreteness of variables, the presence of conditionally logical limitations and the need to work with multiple conflicting criteria. The purposeful variation of characteristic values for configuration variants improves the initial ones. Implementation and usage of cluster analysis, set theory and set of rules allows to identify the clusters of innovative aircraft configurations combining high performance potential with robustness regarding requirement changes and design uncertainties incorporating probabilistic aspects in the project.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants