Effect of Size and Mission Requirements on the Design Optimization of Non-Planar Aircraft Configurations

Abstract

Significant performance improvements can be achieved by aircraft configurations which make use of non–planar lifting surface arrangements to improved aerodynamic efficiency, reduced structural weight, and tailored flight dynamics and control characteristics. Potential improvements come at the price of a larger degree of inter–disciplinary couplings where non–aerodynamic considerations such as structural strength and weight characteristics need to be included in the overall design process. Furthermore, the effect that aircraft size, its mission, and its operational requirements have in these type of configurations need to be assessed. In this paper, we explore the multidisciplinary design and optimization of non–planar configurations, taking into account the coupling between aerodynamics and structures for different aircraft sizes and mission requirements. A very flexible representation of non–planar configurations is allowed and geometric, volumetric, aerodynamic, and structural characteristics are considered. Results show the performace effects and inter– disciplinary trade–offs that size and mission requirements impose on the design of these types of aircraft configurations.