An efficient implementation of aeroelastic tailoring based on efficient computational fluid dynamics-based reduced order model

Abstract

Current and future trends in the aerospace industry leverage on the potential benefits provided by lightweight materials that can be tailored to realize desired mechanical characteristics when loaded. For aircraft design, the deployment of aeroelastic tailoring is hindered by the need to re-compute, for any possible modification of the structure, the dependence of the aerodynamic field on the underlying structural properties. To make progress in this direction, the work presents a rapid computational fluid dynamics based aeroelastic tool which is built around a reduced order model for the aerodynamics that is updated for any modification of the structure by using the structural dynamics reanalysis method. The aeroelastic tailoring tool is demonstrated in transonic flow for the AGARD 445.6 wing, suitably modified with composite materials. It was found that the proposed method provides accurate engineering predictions for the aeroelastic response and stability when the structure is modified from the baseline model.