Application of a concurrent engineering methodology to the design of a dual use VTOL aircraft

Abstract

The Dual Use Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft is a proposed passenger aircraft capable of rapidly transporting passengers and cargo to destinations 500 nautical miles apart in support of civilian and military requirements. This program is currently in its infancy and was selected for consideration by the 1994 American Helicopter Society (AHS) Design Competition. The objective of this competition was to design an aircraft capable of satisfying both the civilian and military missions. Furthermore, the competition stated the need to maximize the commonality of dynamic systems while minimizing development and qualification~certification costs. This paper outlines how the Georgia Tech Concurrent Engineering methodology was implemented to assist in formalizing the design process from concept inception to configuration selection and optimization. Methods and tools, such as Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and functional analysis, were used to simplify the identification of the customers' needs and to allow their prioritization based on quantifiable engineering performance measures. Once the problem was defined and the value objectives were established, three feasible VTOL aircraft configurations were selected. These concepts were then evaluated using a simplified fuel balance vehicle sizing method and a criterion function that captures economic, performance, and utilization concerns. A parameter design optimization method was used to select the Dual Use VTOL aircraft, yielding the tilt rotor as the most viable configuration.