Model Reduction Framework with a New Take on Active Subspaces for Optimization Problems with Linearized Fluid‐Structure Interaction Constraints

Abstract

SummaryIn this paper, a new take on the concept of an active subspace for reducing the dimension of the design parameter space in a multidisciplinary analysis and optimization (MDAO) problem is proposed. The new approach is intertwined with the concepts of adaptive parameter sampling, projection‐based model order reduction, and a database of linear, projection‐based reduced‐order models equipped with interpolation on matrix manifolds, in order to construct an efficient computational framework for MDAO. The framework is fully developed for MDAO problems with linearized fluid‐structure interaction constraints. It is applied to the aeroelastic tailoring, under flutter constraints, of two different flight systems: a flexible configuration of NASA's Common Research Model; and NASA's Aeroelastic Research Wing #2 (ARW‐2). The obtained results illustrate the feasibility of the computational framework for realistic MDAO problems and highlight the benefits of the new approach for constructing an active subspace in both terms of solution optimality and wall‐clock time reduction.